Cessation
by Arreku97
Summary: Rigby; a twenty-three year old who's life has begun to crack around him, each day has become a struggle when everything seems to be revolving around woe. Life can break you faster than it will make you.
1. Au Revoir

**_Cessation_**

_**Chapter One: Au Revoir**_

* * *

For each living human on the Earth, there was usually somebody who walked each day with you; helping you reach and every desired goal that was placed in front of you. Even if the odds were nearly impossible, with mere courage of a companion could become the night and day of the looming result.

This, was indeed true for a certain twenty-three year old brown haired person, this person; of course being the park's _infamous Rigby._

The last few years have had massive changes to the park, multiple people left and came in what seemed like minutes. Muscle Man had eventually ran off to Texas start a restaurant with the women he cared for, _Starla._

_Benson, _due to stress, began to develop heart conditions, and eventually had to resign as the park manager; much to his dismay. His ideal goal was to be promoted into the higher ranks of the park, and be able to prematurely save for his retirement and future.

High-Five Ghost, eventually decided to join his brother, _Low-Five Ghost, _ at the police academy and had little to no time to even hang out with his best friend Muscle Man. This was a major factor in Muscle Man's choice to move away and pursue new goals, his friend no longer could make the time to join him in their general enjoyable routines.

Skips and Pops were two of Rigby's common friends that were actually staying at the park, the park management position was split between Skips, and Pops respectfully. Though, the main reason Pops had a role though was because for some unknown reason to any of the employees at the park, had a _distrust _for Skips.

It seemed with Benson gone, that ran out of somebody to attack in his frustration, leaving Skips in the vulnerable position. However, much to 's dismay; Skips never would suck up to in the manner that Benson had. Skips had wondered multiple times how Benson could put up with such an_ irrational bastard._

Skips was the only one who still kept in touch with Benson; Benson's doctor had advised him to stay away from sources of stress, thus including Mordecai, Rigby, and even .

_Thomas _was somewhat of a mystery to the park, he was still indeed, _an intern. _However, there was much speculation he would eventually leave and pursue other path's in his life.

However, this was not exactly true. _Thomas, _to this day; was still at the park. He had become closer with Mordecai and Rigby over time, even picking up some of their _slacker like traits._

Luckily, this began after Benson had left, if he had a third initiate to the Mordecai and Rigby slacking parade; his heart most likely would have gone out before his resignation.

However, none of these were truly _horrific _compared to what Rigby was facing now... Something he would have never dreamed of, even _in_ his worst nightmares...

His best friend, and his brother not in blood, had announced a few months ago he was departing with his girlfriend, _CJ; _to travel across continents to pursue _journalism..._

This had caught Rigby by shock, if anything he would have figured he would have pursued something more along the edges of _Painting, or a Comic Book Artist, _or even _Graphic Design._

But nothing could prepare Rigby for such an announcement by someone he had practically been tied by the waist with since they were mere toddlers...

CJ, with Mordecai, was pursuing _photography. _They had decided they had wanted to pursue careers that had complimented each other, and drew them closer as a couple.

Their relationship had become much more serious over time, at first it was just dates, general romance, and an increased frequency in each other's presence...

_However... _After not much time, the two's relationship had become increasingly more _direct and serious. _When they had been dating for merely four months, the two had already had multiple talks of _marriage, _and plans for their future.

Rigby truly wanted to deny that his best friend, one of his _only friends, _was going to be leaving his life, leaving the twenty-three year old on his own for the first time in his life...

Even with this being bad enough, a anxiety filled Rigby wanted to spend the last few months after Mordecai's announcement with his best friend, attempting to cram in more memories of their friendship before _Mordecai's departure..._

However, this unfortunately was _not, _to be...

It seemed that Mordecai had become consumed with his dates and plans with CJ, Rigby had made many attempts at even playing something as small as video games with his friend; yet, he was always replied to with this response.

_"Sorry dude. I have plans with CJ tonight. Ask Thomas, I know he would like to hang with you." _

Mordecai's voice still played like a looping song in Rigby's head, making him lose his upbeat attitude into something more _sorrowful, and despair ridden..._

The two friends had begun to, _entirely drift apart; _not even before they went to bed, would there be a small conversation about what the other one had done today... It was just a mere eerie silence, that began to curse the room...

The two friends eventually over time barely spoke to each other, to occasional 'What's up?', would happen, but nothing like the two used to have discussions about... They began to almost feel like acquaintances to one another...

However, Rigby had indeed become closer with _Thomas. _When Mordecai had suggested Thomas for hangouts, Rigby didn't object to the idea; it was because his friendship with Mordecai was irreplaceable, likely no one _would _be able to replicate such a close bond.

It was upsetting for Rigby that it seemed that their friendship could end so quickly, _so damn suddenly._

Rigby began to become irritable and just generally distressed throughout most of his days, as his life was falling apart in front of his eyes. When he looked back on it two years ago, everything seemed so _secure, _as if nothing would ever happen and the haven of the park would last infinitely.

A person, _who he had never meant to hurt, _but he did; _was a girl, who he over time began to care for..._

_Eileen..._

Rigby had many melancholy ridden coffee shop visits, and unintentionally, he had shut out the petite girl who had her heart set on him...

She had high hopes, after the brown haired boy began to let her breach through his armor, and eventually leading to the two becoming good friends.

However, through many coffee shop visits after the news of Mordecai's eventual departure had sunk into Rigby, even _with _the girl's unending sympathy and numerous attempts to comfort the boy; Rigby had subconsciously ignored the girl, causing her, her _own dejection..._

Eventually, another person began to pursue Eileen in her dejected state; a person who was an old foe of Mordecai and Rigby..._Chad._

Chad was practically able to get the girl to forget about Rigby. Chad had been much more affectionate and open with the girl, then _Rigby _ever was able to be with her...

Eventually, the walls came closing in on Rigby as it seems things only got worse, especially when the months ticked by in what seemed like _mere seconds..._

_Thomas _had tried multiple times to help his friend, yet it seemed like nothing got through to him... He still even tried to this day, reaching out to the boy, and offering any type of assistance possible. But the stubborn brown haired boy had nothing that he had wanted to do with anything, even _with life _at that point...

Eventually more time had passed, leading to this very dreadful day for the woe filled boy... It seemed so surreal, _yet, _he knew it was true, as he practically sat by a clock and watched as each day ticked away, leading closer to the loss of the boy's best friend..._  
_

"_Well dude, I'm all packed." _A tall, medium length blue and black haired boy said, accompanied by his white haired and pale skinned girlfriend, as he turned to his shorter friend.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading! I got interested in giving Regular Show a shot, and wanted to mix some things up. Also, for clarification purposes; in this story, the original events of Regular Show had taken nearly three years prior thus making all of the characters three years younger at the time. Which is why they are still twenty-three in the story, yet more events have happened...**_

_**Thanks again! :)**_


	2. Recollection

**_Cessation_**

_**Chapter Two: Recollection**_

* * *

Rigby sat as he watched his best friend finishing packing his car, each second seeming longer with each bag entering the car; slowly looming down until Mordecai would officially, _be gone. _He had finish packing his own bags a bit ago, but just recently start on CJ's bags.

CJ and Mordecai were giggling from excitement as they put away more bags, they were optimistic for their new-found path in life. Half of the time it even seemed as if Mordecai and CJ and been oblivious that Rigby was even there...

Suddenly, Rigby looked back at the steps as he heard footsteps, he saw Skips making his way down to the three. He stopped upon closing the distance between himself and Mordecai.

"Need any help?" Skips asked directly, ignoring the awkward aroma that was spread through the air from the tension placed by a dying friendship.

"No...I think we got it all. Thanks though." Mordecai said as he checked his car and made sure everything was in place. CJ entered the passenger seat, as he opened and closed the door for her. Afterwards, he looked back to Skips; Skips gave him a small friendly smile.

"I never though I would see this day, first Muscle Man, then High-Five, Benson, and now you too, huh?" Skips asked in a friendly manner, as he looked towards Mordecai.

"Yeah, it seems like, as much fun as it was; the park can't be my home forever." Mordecai stated truthfully as he returned Skips' smile with his own.

"Mordo! We have to get a move on, plane is leaving in twenty minutes!" CJ called out as she rolled down the window temporarily.

"Okay! On my way!" He called back as he looked back towards CJ, then returning his gaze back to his two long time friends in front of him.

"Well." Mordecai started, "Look's like this is it, we've had some great memories here. But all good chapters must come to an end." Mordecai said optimistically, as he flashed a small smile.

Though it was forced, Rigby smiled back at Mordecai. Rigby after some time realized he had no right to be angry at Mordecai, _sure _he was losing his friend. But, he knew it was right for Mordecai to do what he wanted to, pursue his future with his love at his side. It was an ideal dream for just about anybody, after all.

"Well dude, look's like we won't be seeing each other around anymore." Mordecai said as he looked towards Rigby. Rigby gave a small nod as he looked towards the floor.

"But hey, chin up dude. Not much longer and you'll be pursuing your future too. You just gotta find what you really want to do." Mordecai said encouragingly, as he gave him a 'hmph' with a nod.

Rigby gave him a smile, and replied with his own 'hmph' and nod. Afterwards; the three sat their in silence, for what seemed like nearly a decade... All of them searched for something to say, yet it seemed their thoughts were a bottomless pit that sucked any intelligible words to their untimely death.

Suddenly Mordecai broke the silence after what seemed like a few more decades of silence.

"Well guys, I gotta get going. Take care of Pops for me." Mordecai said slighty jokingly as he turned around and headed towards his car.

Though, it felt like more should have been said, the three merely agreed that time was just being delayed, and the silence was unfortunately not striking up any new thoughts in either one of them.

"Mordecai." Rigby spoke up silently, causing the boy with blue and black hair to stop in his tracks as he was preparing enter his car.

"Yeah dude?" Mordecai said, his eyebrow was raised as his curiosity was peaked at his friends sudden word.

"_Remember..." _Rigby began as he looked down, suddenly he looked up towards Mordecai with a smile.

"_Hamboning... It'll save your life some day." _Rigby said with small smirk on his face, his last words bringing up the memories of one of their first park catastrophes.

Mordecai rolled his eyes, "_Right." _ He said with a small laugh, "If I am in a near death situation, _and saved with hamboning; _you'll be the first to know." Mordecai joked as he continued getting into his car.

Rigby continued his smirk as him and Skips walked up by the driver's side wind shield, saying one last goodbye to their friend.

"Good luck, _Mordo." _Skips said with a smile, as he gave him and encouraging thumbs up.

"Good luck,_ Mordecai_. Don't look like a chump out there." Rigby said jokingly as he continued his smirk.

His friend gave a small laugh before waving to his friends one last time.

"_Right." _He said as he started up his car, he looked towards them and smiled one last time.

He waved his hand out of his car, and said happily; "See you guys!" With that, his car began to accelerate and eventually drove off out of distance, too far for Skips and Rigby to see...

Rigby and Skips that there for a few minutes, still adjusting to the fresh departure in the park. One less worker for them, and one more spot to fill. After a few more seconds of silence, Rigby eventually spoke up as he looked towards Skips...

"_Hey Skips." _He began, "You think Pops'd mind if I borrowed his car?" Rigby asked curiously as he continued his gaze towards Skips.

"_Well, _that depends. Are you going to w_reck it? _Or are you actually going to d_rive it?" _Skips asked as he referenced some of his young friend's previous endeavors with Pops' vehicle.

"Ugggggghhhhh," Rigby began, "That was like; 20 years ago! _Anyways, _do you think he'd care?" Rigby asked once more...

Skips stood there for a moment and scanned Rigby, curious as to what his intentions were.

"_Hmm." Skips began, "_I suppose not. _As long, _as you bring it back in one piece, _that is." _Skips spoke truthfully towards his friend.

Rigby flailed his hands as he said, "_Fine! Whatever!" _Rigby stated, as his lack of patience once again began to show its colors once more.

Skips rolled his eyes as he let out a long sigh, he then; took off a key ring from his belt, and looked through them as his fingers traced each one.

Upon finding the correct one, he unbuckled it off of the key ring. As he tossed it to Rigby, who caught it with his chest, as he juggled it slightly so it wouldn't fall towards the ground. Eventually it landed in his hands as he look up towards Skips once again. He gave a nervous laugh trying to recover from the juggling show moments ago.

Skips let out a long sigh as he turned around and began to walk off, _"_Why do I feel like I'm going to _regret this?" _Skips quietly mumbled under his breath.

"Thanks _Skips!" _Rigby called out, he then turned away from Skips as he made his way to Pops' car.

It was out in the open plains by the park house, it was a policy and requirement for the park cart to be kept in the garage at all time. However, recently it broke down due to general wear over time, and _Skips _has yet to fix it due to his duties of being the co-park manager taking up a great quantity of his time...

As Rigby got closer to his car, a vast variety of memories flew into his mind as quick as they left it. Images from previous excursions of Mordecai's and Rigby's adventure showing up, and disappearing, in what seemed like mere seconds...

Rigby sighed as he attempted to get the though out of his head, he made his way to the car, and unlocked the door to it with his newfound key.

He thought is was pointless for Pop's to lock his car door considering it was a convertible and he never would keep up the hood of the car, leaving the car vulnerable for any thief to easily be able to capitalize on such an easy opportunity.

He ignored the thought though, he was just glad that something along the nature of that never happened. It seemed with all of the stuff that _did _happen in the park, something of that caliber could easily be added to the list.

He entered the car and started it. As he did so, _the classical station_ came on. It was common for Pops' to listen to classical music, nearly everything he did to one's eyes could be deemed _c_lassical.

Rigby sat there for a moment as he listened to it, _it was peaceful. _He was never a fan of what Mordecai listened to, most of the things he listened to _in his opinion, _sounded like a fart with a drum beat. _Hence, Brain Explosion._

He was _actually _enjoying the classical station, but he needed something..._grittier, _to listen to. _Something angrier, more hateful_.

He turned the knob to the station that Mordecai, Hi-Five, Muscle Man, and him would all listen to on a daily basis...

There was some ads currently on that made Rigby irritable, but he ignored it as he started driving...

Eventually as he was driving, the radio DJ came on and began talking...

_"Hey all you rock heads out there! We have a song request! From Tai-...Tai-...Taie-... I don't know how the hell to pronounce this! Anyways, play the damn song!" _The DJ recovered as the song began to play.

Rigby's eyebrow rose when it started out with a clean guitar at a slower tempo, somewhat fitting for his current drive...

He slowed down, and eventually came to a halt. He then looked towards another object from shadowed memories..._It was the infamous 'Crash Pit, something Mordecai, Hi-Five, Muscle Man, him and sometimes even Thomas enjoyed... _His ears twitched as the singer began to sing as he listened to song...

_Such a lonely day..._

_And it's mine..._

_The most loneliest day of my, life..._

Rigby's eyes narrowed at the lyrics of the song, as he looked back in front of him from the crash pit... His irritation beginning to boil over.

_Such a lonely day..._

_Should be banned..._

_It's a day that I can't stand..._

_Rigby growled, _and drove away as the distortion guitar had come into the song, making is thus more, _heavier..._

As he drove further, he slowed down as he passed a familiar billboard in where Mordecai, Hi-Five, Muscle Man and him had participated in a tournament for an extremely pleasant looking muscle car... The billboard becoming worn down due to some of the weather over the years, showing visible signs of general wear and tear.

_And if you go..._

_I want to go with you..._

_And if you die..._

_I want to die with you..._

Rigby picked up the pace of his car, as he needed something, _anything; _to distract him from this damned day...

He decided to head towards the _coffee shop, _however; _even the coffee shop had memories with his friend. Many memories actually, _of his friend drooling over a very certain red haired girl, that nowadays, he had seemingly _little to no _interest for.

_Take your hand..._

_And walk away..._

He eventually after a mere few seconds, with the town being so closely knit together, made it to the coffee shop...

He stopped the car a small parking spot by the coffee shop, he was careful not to brush into anything, he knew how much Pops' had _adored, _Carmenita... And didn't want to hurt he-..._it._

He sat there for a moment in the car before entering, he attempted to look through the windows, to try and tell who was working inside... However, he had no luck, as the glare from the sun only reflected his own sorrow filled face... He stared at his reflection for a moment...

_Such a lonely day..._

_And it's mine..._

_It's a day that I'm glad I;_

_survived..._

Rigby let out a sigh before he turned off the car, pulled the key out, and opened the door. He got out as he closed the door behind him, and locked the car...

He walked up onto the sidewalk from the road, as he made his way up to the front door.

Eventually, he made it to his destination. He opened the glass door, as he was greeted by familiar bells accompanying the top of door, signaling the employees that a new customer had arrived...

As he walked in, the place seemed like a ghost town. Nobody was there, and it seemed like the whole shop had been _abandoned for days..._

He walked down the few steps accompanying the entrance to the shop, as he walked towards his familiar spot in the shop.

He sat down, as he adjusted himself into the seat, and let his arms rest upon the table in front of him...

He looked down towards the table, he scanned the familiar stains and scratches from many of the air guitar and table drum mishaps. Also, _when Mordecai got really nervous and fidgety _from the sight of a certain red-head and would spill his coffee...

Suddenly a figure walked out, causing _Rigby_ to raise his head. His saddened eyes turned wide from _shock _at the appearance of the figure... The figure's face was towards the floor with it's hand placed upon it forehead from stress, as it approached Rigby's position. The figure began to speak as it continued to make its way towards the table Rigby was occupying.

"I'm sorry for the delay, _may I take your-..." _The figure trailed off as it looked up, and looked towards its new customer...

_"_Hey, _Margaret." _Rigby said casually with a smile as he looked up towards the familiar red head coffee girl.

_"Rigby!" _She said ecstatically, as her stressed features became more upbeat as she looked towards her old friend...

Rigby continued his smile with his elbows resting on the table, as he said casually, "_Long time, no see."_

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading! The song is on the radio is, Lonely Day - System Of A Down. And yes I own EVERY SINGLE RIGHT TO IT... No just kidding, I own no rights to any of this stuff. The rights are respectfully for Regular Show, J.G Quintel, and Lonely Day - System Of A Down.**_

_**Thanks again! :)**_


	3. Withdrawal

**_Cessation_**

_**Chapter Three: Withdrawal**_

* * *

_"Rigby! It's been like; forever! How are you?" _Margaret stated happily as she took a seat in front of the boy, on the opposing bench.

_"I've been good, how about you?" Rigby _replied, he lied so he could avoid the topic of the memories from the last few months...

"_Good! _I'm only a year off from graduating, I'm able to advance a year because they allowed me to do extra work during each summer break, and on the off weeks in general. I really had _nothing _to do on them anyways, I really didn't meet that many people there, or make new friends." She said as she resumed the conversation, her voice became a bit more quiet as her words went on, her smile nearly turned into a frown. The topic of isolation most of still been fresh for Margaret, and Margaret didn't seem like the person who wanted to be alone throughout her life.

"_Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. _But; welcome back. It's nice to see you again. " Rigby replied with a smile, _though it was forced and fake, _he was actually somewhat joyful over the fact someone was _returning _in his life, rather than _leaving. _His smile was just unable to be true after today's events.

"Thanks. It's nice to see old friends again." Margaret said happily, as she looked towards Rigby. As she looked towards the boy, she noticed there was something..._Off, _about him. His usual upbeat and goofy attitude, _had vanished. _He seemed _distracted, anxious, _and _forlorn..._

After a what seemed like ages of silence, and Rigby's gaze being upon the table; his stature was slouched, as his eyes never moved inch, a frown evident on his face, Margaret wanted to break the awkward silence as she looked around her in thought...

"_So, umm..." _She searched for something to say, "_Where's Mordecai?" _She asked curiously, as she returned her gaze to the boy.

The question somewhat caught Rigby off guard, as his distracted eyes focused once more on Margaret, and his breathing stopped for a millisecond. His slouched stature became more upright upon her question, Margaret saw the boy's reaction, and raised an eyebrow in confusion and somewhat in worry...

Rigby sat there for a moment, he thought of how to approach this, he wasn't sure if the girl still had _feelings _for Mordecai, and he didn't want to hurt her. He let his gaze drop backs towards the table, and tried to not look at Margaret, realizing it could give everything away. Margaret saw the boy's reaction, and raised an eyebrow in confusion, her smile turning into a concerned frown.

"He's...He's...U-Um..." Rigby began cautiously, he saw Margaret began to become alerted at his hesitant pace. Eventually, after an inward battle of what to do, he decided to come out _with the truth. _He did not feel like dancing around the subject, and he wanted to be truthful, also; he really decided he shouldn't add more to his long _book of lies._

He let out a small sigh before he spoke up, _"He's gone..." _Rigby _finally _said as the sorrow was evident in his voice, he looked up towards Margaret, as he saw her eyes had gone wide. A frown still accompanying his face, as a sad one began to take it's place on Margaret's.

She sat there for a moment, before speaking up; _"Gone?" _She asked nervously, as she looked back towards the boy for his reaction, an anxiety filled frowned evident on her face...

Rigby merely nodded his head, as his gaze was back towards the table. His face was filled with _despair, anger, _and he almost seemed..._Lost._

"Where did he go?" She then asked more calmly, as she regained her composure at the news from the boy. _Though her mind still did indeed race with worry, _and overall; _confusion._

Rigby then thought about Mordecai's departure, and not just that; but his new _beloved, CJ... _Should he break it to her right now? _No, _no, that wouldn't be right. He knew that this information in itself would take a few days to process, her former lover is gone and _not coming back. _It would be a bad idea to add that he has met a _new, _other-half.

"He left to pursue _journalism, _he is touring the world, and he wants to make that his future..." The boy's voice trailed off, as the subject was still fresh; it still upset him to let alone think about it, and saying it out in the open just seemed harder as the realization became more abrupt, and the truth showed it's _haunting face..._

_"Oh." _She said as she looked back down towards the table, her hurt began to run through her hastily. She hadn't dated anybody at the college, she had been offered to do things; but just simply chose _not to do so. _She was hoping in her return, she could resume where she left. _And now, _a _massive _piece to the p_uzzle; _that was _her, _was lost, and would possibly _never return..._

_Suddenly, her mind wondered. _Though her and Mordecai _were close and a couple, _it was no where _near _the bond that Mordecai and Rigby had _shared. _They were basically brother's, they had a lot of similar traits, though each of them were more skilled in each unique trait then the other; they shared the same room, slept under the same roof, and were just _in general; _the closest friends that anyone may see in their life... They nearly never left each other's side.

Her mind _wondered _to the pain and sorrow _Rigby, must be feeling... _S_he frowned _as she realized that the reason the boy was acting in this manner, _was _this very reason... She looked back up towards the boy as she now could see the true woe in his eyes, as he seemed like an orphan _without a home. _

She wanted to get the conversation off of this depressing topic, she scanned through the little knowledge she had on _Rigby's life. _She spoke the first ideal thought that came to her mind...

"_H-Hey," _She said through a fake upbeat tone and smile, "how's everyone else at the park? I bet they are all _doing good." _She said through fake happiness, as she tried to get not only her own mind, but the boy sitting in front of her's mind off of the depressing topic too.

Rigby didn't remove his gaze from the table, _"I wish I could honestly tell you, but I don't know... Most of them left too, a good while before Mordecai did..." Rigby said _as, though he tried to keep his defense up, _his desolation began to bleed into his voice..._

_Margaret frowned at this, _she felt as if she just made the upsetting situation _that _much worse for the boy...

_"Oh... I'm sorry Rigby... I had no idea..." _Margaret stated sadly, as her chest felt a bit more empty at the departure of some of her friends, and her still remaining friends being in _anguish and despair because of it..._

The two sat there as their saddened frown's were focused onto the things around them; _mostly being the table, _rather _than each other..._

They both sat there in silence for what _seemed like ages, _the clock continued to play its second-by-second _haunting tune... _With each note seeming to take longer to arrive then the first...

Suddenly, after an _even longer period of silence, _a song began to blare from no where in particular, causing Margaret to raise her head, she watched as Rigby began to shuffle as his hands made their way towards his pocket.

The song that was playing was one _familiar _to Margaret, it was one of _Fist Pump's top hits... _She smiled at the memory of the concert that she had went to awhile ago, it was one _that she remembered _a certain two boys somehow managed to _fall asleep _during...

As Rigby removed his hand from his pocket and held his hands accompanied by a device to his face as he looked over it, Margaret's predictions were _proven _true as she figured it was the boy's ringtone; him being a _massive _Fist Pump fan and all...

"_I'm sorry, one second; it's my boss." _Rigby began, as he looked towards the girl to see if it was alright that he took the call.

"No problem." She replied calmly as she watched the boy as he clicked the device and began to put the phone up to his ear...

Once he did so, he spoke as his eyes rested on the table.. "Hello?-What's up Skips.-Right.-Okay, I'll be there shortly." Rigby concluded as he clicked his phone, he let out a long desolated sigh as he put the phone back in his pocket.

"_I'm sorry...but I have to go." _Rigby stated as his eyes were focused now more on the floor as he rotated and began to get out of his seat.

"It's okay, stuff happens. Another time, maybe." She said with a small smile, as she watched the boy get up entirely, before making his way to the door. Her mind was a bit confused about the fact that the man named _Skips, _was his boss; as she remembered his and Mordecai's previous boss, being a fiery and easily angered red-head man, named _Benson._

_However, _she dismissed this thought as she watched as the boy was about to leave , he was just arriving at the door before she spoke up, catching the boy in his tracks.

_"Rigby." _She said loud enough so the boy could hear her, as she still sat at the table.

He looked back at her, a curious look on his face. _"Yeah?" _He replied simply, wondering as to what the girl needed.. The girl sat there for a moment as she looked towards the boy before speaking, her face turned more serious and her smile disappeared into a small frown...

_"If you ever need anyone to talk to... _About, well, _anything; _really. Don't hesitate _to give me a shout, okay?" _She said as she looked towards the boy as her voice was filled with sympathy and worry over one of her remaining friends, she watched as the boy's despair ridden eyes began to slowly and briefly look more joyful.

He gave her a small appreciative, yet slightly dejected smile as he replied, "_Thanks... I appreciate it, and I will." _He said happily as he looked towards the girl.

He then turned and slowly opened the door, causing the small bells to ring atop of the door, he then continued the same pace as he walked out. The door closed behind him by itself, creating a gentle clicking sound as it fully closed. The only thing that could be heard then was the bells ringing throughout the small dining shop, as Margaret sat their in a new-found saddened state.

The news truly _shocked _Margaret, she was hoping to see Mordecai awaiting for her return, resuming her life as she had it two years ago. _Yet, _she realized that was a selfish though_, _she real_ized Mordecai _was the type of person who needed somebody with him through his life; he needed emotional, logical, and virtuous support. _And that's what truly upset her._

It wasn't that she _wanted to leave, _she just wanted to secure her future in the career of her choice. She had gone to become a few things, her ideas and wants had changed over time.

Originally, she was interested in becoming a _beauty stylist, _however after some soul searching she realized she couldn't see herself doing that for her whole future; thinking it could easily become repetitive.

She then thought about being a doctor, or something more along the lines of medicine. However; she never _really _liked the hospital that much, and being in one just gave her an uneasy feeling. There was a common deadly illness that had run through her family; primarily on her mother's side, and it had taken the lives of a few of her cousins, uncle's and aunt's. Luckily, it hadn't taken the life of any of her parents; however, it nearly did end her mother's.

In the first year at college during her summer break, her mother had come down with _breast cancer. _It had been in her for some time, and was unknown to the whole family that she had even any type of sickness. _It was only on one week, _where Maragaret's father noticed she was acting strange, and was running a _high fever. _

She was saying things that were out of character, and just seemed; _lethargic. _It didn't take much for Margaret's father to make the move to take her to the hospital.

Margaret remembered when her father gave her the news, that her mother had been sick with _breast cancer _for almost in years, _and it almost spread to her bones._

_Luckily, _they had caught it in time to be able to treat her, and _luckily, _in _merely a year, _she was in remission.

She also remembered how different forms of cancer had run through her family's genes, and she recalled being at the hospital when she was younger, when; she was with her family, and cancer had claimed the lives of her cousins, uncle's and aunt's.

_It was a terrible scene, _she remembered all of the sobbing from her family members, with each hospital visit, nearly always _removing _one member from her family, and sending them to another life.

So, with this being such a _burden _on her family for the past while... She wanted to help people that had different diseases, hopefully improving their lives. So, she became studied to become a _Physical Therapist. _She also got a minor degree before she had went to this college as a _Exercise Physiologist._

She realized that some _Physical Therapist's _had worked in _hospital's, _yet some of them worked in _fitness facilities, schools, home health agencies, _and even _private offices._

So that's where she hoped she could use her studies to good use, helping the people who had received a type of _disability _throughout their life, and help them _over time, _get stronger and be able to conquer it.

She just never had the confidence that she would have the stomach able to deal with a hospital, whenever she _merely _past one, it just caused her insides to feel as if they were swirling in random directions; making her _stomach stink._

She sighed though; as her sorrow filled eyes began to turn ever more woe ridden. As this happened, she got the topic of her family out of her mind, and she thought back to _Mordecai, _somebody who she _still_ cared for..._ Yet, _he now cared _for somebody else..._

She bit her lip with a frown as she felt regret for leaving in the _first _place... _Maybe, _if she stayed, she could have gotten a simple job, and would have hopefully, _still been _with _Mordecai..._

Her gut began to swell with remorse, as she _unjustly, _felt she was _selfish _for pursuing her career... _But, _it's what she always wanted to do. _She didn't want to work at this damn coffee shop forever, who would? _She had melancholy filled frowned as her sorrow ridden eyes had never left the table ever since Rigby had left...

_"Excuse me?! Coffee girl!" _This snapped the girl out of her attention as she looked up with wide eyes and a confusion ridden face. She saw a particularly outraged looking customer in front of her, with furrowed brows, narrowed eyes, and an agitated frown.

"_I've been waiting here for ten minutes! Is this how they train you people to work?! What the hell is wrong with you! I've been calling you for the past eight minutes of you just sitting around, twiddling your damn fingers!" _The customer said rudely, _his irritation was visible; _as he put on a whole parade of frustration on the girl.

_Margaret_ had half a mind to tell the man to _screw off, _and throw the closest thing she could find at him after his show of disrespect. However...

_She realized she needed the money, _so she bit her lip and replied as apologetically as she could honestly muster up within her.

"I'm truly sorry sir," she said as she got out of her seat and stood up; she faced him as she continued speaking, "my apologies, I got distracted by something... _May I please take your order?" _She said defeated, as her emotions were in a cry of rage, that was nearly impossible to muffle.

As she wrote down the customer's order, one final thought hit her before she resumed her day...

'I'm sorry_...Mordecai...' She _thought as she buried her emotions, and continued on with her work...

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey all! Thanks for reading :)! I appreciate the reviews so far! They have helped me a ton! And I appreciate all the kind words! :) Thank you all! This chapter is by about two-hundred words the longest chapter so far, so that's a good thing, I think. **_

_**But anyways, I hoped you enjoy! **_

_**Next chapter is either going to come out horribly late tonight, or sometime tomorrow. Thanks again! :)**_


	4. Expropiate

**_Cessation_**

_**Chapter Four: Expropiate**_

* * *

Rigby let out a sigh as he parked _Carmenita _on the fields by the park house. He let his gaze drop to the steering wheel as he sat there for a moment.

Skips had needed him to clean off some trash that had been scattered after a small band had played at the park, many of the band's friends and family had came to see them perform. Suffice to say, they weren't the tidiest people; and had left quite a duty for Rigby to complete.

Rigby actually had become quite _better _at finishing his jobs; he usually would never slack off anymore, not without his best friend that had made it _enjoyable. Technically, _he still could _slack off _with ease. _However, _it just _wasn't fun _anymore...

There was really no point to it, most of the video games they had bought were made for _two players, _watching television seemed dull and repetitive without a friend to crack jokes with, and he figured it would simply just be easier to complete it. Skips had _actually _begun to rely on the boy to complete many challenging tasks.

He had received multiple appreciation plaque's, that, _awhile ago, _seemed amazing. _Yet, _now with no one to celebrate it with; _they just gathered dust._ He didn't even bother to hang them, he merely kept them in a small pile on the floor by his trampoline bed.

_Mordecai _had actually _left _the park before he _left _entirely. He chose to work with CJ, and would normally crash at her place. The only time's he would spend the night at the park is when would have relatives over, and the two had yet to sleep in the same bed. _Thus, _leading to insufficient housing predicaments.

Rigby had nearly always gotten _excited _and _optimistic _when he knew the _Mordecai _would be spending the night, _even _if it _was _just for _one day..._

_However, _even when Rigby had made a list of things to do; _Mordecai _would always be preoccupied on the phone _with CJ. _It made Rigby usually wonder why he just wasn't there in the _first place... _

_He _would listen to Mordecai continue to talk with the girl for what seemed like _hours, _and then when he _was _done, it was so late that _both _of them were too tired to do anything... And by the time Rigby woke up, _he was already gone..._

There was even a night where Rigby had pleaded for Mordecai to just stay an hour when he woke up, _and hang out. _Mordecai agreed, yet when Rigby woke up; _he was gone..._He only received a text that had said...

_'Sorry dude. Something came up.'_ He remembered the letters shining brightly in his eyes in the morning, and how much they had angered him; outraged him.

After he had read this text, he had remember that he _threw his phone, _and it broke into pieces... He had _immediately regretted it, _upon doing it. It was actually a _high quality _phone that he had really enjoyed, and would play with in his free time.

Now, luckily Skips was nice enough to buy him a cheap thirty dollar phone that had only the most basic features. It wasn't much compared to his old phone, but he _still _appreciated the kindness shown from his boss at his own, _on his own dumb mistake..._

He let out a long sigh as his frustrations mounted, and his agitation rapidly began to increase. _He had so many chances _to make a future for himself, _but instead; _he chose to just cling to a hope that him hanging out at a haven with his best friend would last a life time. And now because of it; _he would be working at a park for possibly the rest of his life..._

There were many nights where he would worry about his future, _what he would do when the park was over... _He fest his chest fill with anxiety and paranoia when this thought came up, and it caused him to run circles in his own head. He felt his stomach sink when his mind did eventually land on the topic of his future; his nerves always ran rampant and his insides would twist with nervousness...

_However, _he would always tell himself; _one day, _he would go back and finish _high school, _and go to college... And that's what made the horrendous twisting of his insides subside, so he could finally sleep at night without worry...

But here _he was now, _twenty-three years old, still working at a park, _his friend is now gone; _and yet, he still has no plans for _h__is future..._

He then thought about his family, _and even though his parents would always welcome him with open arms..._ He knew they were disappointed in him... They always knew Rigby was a loose cannon, but they figured that he would calm down once he hit his late teens... However, _that was not the case._

Rigby could see and hear the difference in them when they talked to him, compared to when they talked to _his brother Don... _Rigby had loved Don as his brother of course, _but he couldn't help but feel envy..._

His parents seemed so much happier when _Don _was around then when he was, their eyes would practically sparkle when Don was around, their tone of voice was always happy and energetic, and their smiles..._Genuine._

_However, _when _Rigby was around; _there eyes, _hollow. _Their tone, _forced. _Their smile, _fake._

There was so many times where Rigby just wanted to apologize to his parents for not living up to their expectations, but _he just couldn't find the words..._

Eventually, _he stopped visiting _his family all together. He never went to events, holidays, get togethers, _or even funerals..._. He merely spent his holiday's alone at the park, and usually; everyone who did celebrate at the park, would celebrate them with their families; and _not in the park._

_And the thing that truly hurt..._ Was his parents _didn't even call... _Not even after his first hiatus from an event _did they call, _they had never called _once..._

The only one who _did _call was _Don; _who called after each absence, _even the most recent ones. _Don and Rigby had actually gotten along better, ever since they had _patched _things up when the park was almost _audited..._

Don had _even offered Rigby, _to stay at his place; _full time, _with no charge... _Saying he use his car freely, and move in whenever he wants..._

Rigby had appreciated the offer sincerely, _but he would rather kill himself _t_hen do that..._

It wasn't that he didn't want to be around _Don, _or didn't want to hang out with _Don. Don _had actually been one of his best friends since the absence of Mordecai's friendship between the two. The two would usually talk on the phone about their lives or current and previous events.

However, just _that _helped Rigby a _great quantity._ But the reason Rigby didn't want to live with _Don; _is he knew Don would be successful. _He would have the career; he would have the wealth; he would have the beautiful wife; and he would have the picture perfect family..._

Rigby felt that if he were to stay there, he would _ruin _his chances at having that life... He didn't want to be the _waste away brother _that leached off of the other one, because of his own _idiotic mistakes..._

There had been so many times _recently, _where Rigby _had just hoped, _he wouldn't wake up in the morning... _That he secretly had a terminal illness, _and that it _took him away in his sleep... _But he realized he wouldn't be _qualified _for _such a luxury..._

_There were days where he even thought about taking his own life... And officially, ending the charade; that he called his life..._

_"Rigby!" _A voice shouted out startling Rigby as he jumped, and shuffled as his head turned and his eyes focused on the culprit of the voice.

As Rigby focused his eyes, he saw the familiar sandy blonde hair colored boy standing in front of him, _his eyebrow was raised in confusion. _

"Hey, _Thomas." _Rigby said casually, as he still sat in the car; his hands subconsciously clutching the steering wheel.

_"_Hey_, is something wrong, man? _You've been staring _at nothing _for the last_ ten minutes_._" _Thomas said seriously as he looked towards his yellow eyed friend.

Rigby's eyes widened a bit as he was slightly surprised, "No..." Rigby said as he looked away for a moment, his eyes stared hollowly towards the steering wheel, then he returned his gaze to Thomas. "_Just tired lately." _He said casually as he opened the door, and got out of the car; shutting the door behind him.

"Well uh," Thomas began, "Skips is hanging over there, waiting for you; whenever you're ready." Thomas said hesitantly as he looked over to his shorter disgruntled friend.

_"_Right._ Thanks." _Rigby said as he turned and left. As he walked he looked at the world around him, he sighed as he noticed that everything that used to make him happy; _just haunted him now..._

_However, _he quickly dismissed that thought from his mind; _as he knew he didn't need _to have another ten minutes of painful recollection.

As he made his way to the back of the house, he saw Skips. He walked up to him and not much later, stood merely a few feet away from him.

_"Hey Skips, _so where is the mess at?" Rigby asked curiously, _wanting to get straight to the point._

Skips sighed as he turned around and faced Rigby, a grim expression was on his face; causing Rigby's stomach to stink, _he knew something wasn't right..._

"There is _none..." _Skips said truthfully, as he looked towards the floor for a second...

Rigby sighed, _"I see... Bad news, I assume?" _Rigby asked as his voice took a near emotionless tone.

"_Well...-" _Skips began, _but was cut off._

"_Please Skips, just tell me what it is._ I'm so _damn_ tired _of dancing around problems; I'd just rather you tell me immediately then delay it." _Rigby said honestly, _he wasn't trying to be disrespectful towards Skips, _he had just lost _most _of his care in life, _and just wanted to get each day over with; creating the rinse and repeat cycle of misery..._

Skips let out another sigh before he began, he spoke slowly as it seemed that he didn't even want to say this.

"_You see, _we are getting two new employees at the park; _and they are arriving tomorrow..." _Skips began hesitantly as he looked down, he was fighting an inward battle of his own moral obligations for a friend and his job's requirements of him...

"_Alright...Go on..." _Rigby said as he raised his eyebrow towards his muscle ridden white haired boss.

"_One of them lives over a hundred fifty miles away; _and the other's parents recently moved away, _and also...needs a place to stay." _Skips looked up from the ground towards his young friend, and_ immediately _felt guilty upon seeing the boy's face...

Rigby's eyes were wide, _as he knew exactly what Skips was saying... _Yet; _it still came as a shock... _

Rigby was unable to _find words, _as he opened his mouth multiple times with wide eyes, _but nothing came out... Instead...He merely looked towards the floor... As he had no answers, for what was going to come next in his life..._

_"Rigby..." Skips began, _"I tried to _persuade ; _but he _wouldn't bite... I _was able to get you one _extra year _in the house, _but that was a year ago... I can't buy anymore time...I'm sorry..." Skips concluded sadly, _as a despair ridden frown was on his face. He realized he had now made one of his good friends_..._

_Homeless..._

The two sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, _each of their gaze had been focused on the ground the whole time since Skips' announcement..._

_"How..." Rigby began as Skips looked up towards his friend, " How long do I have...?" Rigby asked hesitantly, _he honestly; _did not, _want to know _the answer_..._But he knew he couldn't ignore such a rapid change_... However, _he still wasn't prepared for it..._

Skips _bit his lip, the next announcement to Rigby wasn't going to be easy..._

_"_I need you to leave..." He began hesitantly...

"_by tomorrow afternoon..."_

_Rigby's eyes went wide once more, _even _wider _then the _first time... His stomach sank, as fear began to sink into the boy... His life was beginning to end before his very eyes..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading! Just realized by the fourth chapter I had been spelling the whole name of the story wrong...Sorry about that, not my most excellent achievement in life. But, thanks for reading! Chapter Five is coming out shortly! :)**_


	5. Splinter

_**Cessation**_

_**Chapter Five: Splinter**_

* * *

Rigby and Skips had sat in silence as they each could _not _think of a single word to speak... Each of their faces were downwards towards the floor below them, _one of them was in disbelief and shock; while the other felt remorse, and an overwhelming sense of guilt..._

It took a few more moments of silence, _before one of them spoke up..._

"_Alright..." Rigby began, "I understand..." Rigby concluded _as his nerves jumped around inside him in multiple directions, he wanted to _practically plead _to be able to stay; _as he has nowhere else to go; _but he wasn't going to demean himself like that...

He kept his composure much to Skips' surprise; Skips' looked up upon the boy's calm reply... What Skips _didn't see, _was the boy's clenched fists in which he hid behind him...

Rigby had dug his nails _so deep _into his hands, it began to _draw blood_, _and trail down his palm at a rapid pace... _It was hard not to simply, _break down, and give up_...

Life had dealt Rigby a cruel hand, _and it constantly repeated this hand; _causing the boy _to want to go insane... _It seemed that with _each passing day, _life would only _seem more chaotic and miserable. _

He now, _was a twenty-three year old drop out; with no home... _And he _didn't _want to bring himself to _depend _on his parents, _or _his brother...

He didn't want to face them and inform them that _all of their inward predictions were correct, _and that his _future _had lost its last glimpse of hope; and the remainder of his will, _was shattered..._

_"Rigby." _Skips _spoke up, _ripping the boy from his thoughts. He looked up towards the older man, as he awaited for him to _continue..._

_"I want you to have something..." Skips_ began as he walked towards the small box _Rigby hadn't noticed until now, _that was sitting a few feet away from him...

He must have been distracted _by the tone _of _Skips' voice, as his attention had fully been directed towards him upon hearing it..._

Rigby watched as Skips turned around _with _the box in hand, _and headed _towards his direction...

He noticed the box seemed..._weathered, torn from the cruel hand of time..._

_Skips sighed, _as he halted _mere feet; away from Rigby._

"_Being immortal..." Skips began as his eyes fell solemnly onto the ground below, _a _grief _ began to coat his eyes; _one that had been buried for awhile. _He resumed conversing after _a few seconds of silence..._

_"_It's a _curse, as much as it is a luxury..." Skips said slowly, "_I've seen all of those who I care for, _die; right before my eyes, _for the past _two hundred years..." Skips said emotionlessly, as his gaze continued towards the ground._

_"The painful thing, _is that it _hardens you..._ Even if you don't _want to be, _after two hundred years of _death, war, and multiple plagues; _life to a mortal truly _does, seem brief." _Skips had concluded, Rigby's eyes went wide at how _casual _he seemed, _when he said this_...

"_But nearly one hundred years ago, _my beloved had a _treasured item_... _Obviously, _she is no more; _thus having no use for it. _And with _immortality, _your senses_ become greater then the average mortal's. Your sight, your hearing, your feeling, _and over time, _you eventually become advanced enough to sense another's presence." _Skips said calmly, as he looked up towards Rigby.

_"_And your presence,_ Rigby; has been troubled for the last two years, on a constant basis..." Skips said calmly, _as he looked towards his _young small friend._

_"Has it not?..." Skips questioned once more, as he looked towards his friend with a brow raised for clarification._

Rigby merely looked away _with an irritable look on his face... Upon seeing this, Skips realized what he had said; was true..._

_"Well, _what I want to give you; is whenever you are feeling in despair, _try playing this..." _Skips suddenly opened the box, and _held out the opened box_; revealing something that made Rigby _go wide-eyed._

It was a small brown violin, the _perfect _size for Rigby's petite stature; it had a few scuffs on it for it being _a hundred years old, _of course. _But it was practically in perfect condition. Rigby was in awe, yet..._

_His irritation, agitation, and past two years of frustration randomly broke loose._

_"_You're kicking me out_..._But your giving me an _old damn violin? Why?!" Rigby suddenly barked towards his boss, _his _anger getting the better of him... He looked towards boss with narrowed rage filled eyes, _something that had _been burning _in him for awhile now...

_Skips' eyes went wide at his young friend sudden outburst in surprise. _As he did so, _Rigby saw it happen. Leaving the boy to immediately feel remorse for his actions, _his stomach sank in _regret _as he did not mean to take it out on one of his good friends...

"_Skips...I'm so-" Rigby began his apology, _but was abruptly _cut off._

_"It's fine; _just take this, _and trust me. _It _will _help." Skips said as he tried to reassure his young friend as he handed over the new violin, still encased in the lower half of the box; over towards him.

Rigby eyed it once more, before he hesitantly _accepted it. _He scanned it as it was in his arms, _his eyes were filled with curiosity, _yet at the same time, _doubt. _He thought back to the two excerpts from _Mordecai and Rigby... Skips eyes went wide at the sight of blood on Rigby's hand,_ it took him _mere seconds _to figure out how it happened, _his stomach sank at the pity he felt for the boy._

_"_But Skips, _I can barely play guitar... What makes you think I can play this?" _Rigby asked as his confusion began to mount higher, as he questioned his boss's ethics.

"_Just give it a shot; _if it doesn't work, _oh well. _But it _doesn't hurt to try, _there are a few books below the violin to _help you get started. _It will teach you the basics." Skips said optimistically as he looked towards his young friend.

Rigby let out a small troubled sighed, _before he gave a small smile._

_"Thanks...Skips." _Rigby said calmly, catching Skips _off-guard. _He _had figured _that the boy would continue to be feisty, _irritable, _and _not give up so easily... He raised a brow in suspicion._

_Rigby _then crouched as he took the lid from the grassy floor, as he covered the box; _encasing the violin. _He then, stood up and turned; _as he began to walk away._

As he was walking away, _Skips called out for the boy._

_"Rigby! Are you sure; you're okay?" _Skips asked, _however; _he realized even _with _asking this, _he was not going to get a truthful response._

Rigby continued walking away as he replied, _"Yeah Skips, I'm fine." _Rigby said near emotionlessly, as he began to venture towards the front of the house.

As he did so, he calmly walked up the stairs; and into the home. He continued his venture as he passed _Pops _as he began to venture up _another set of stairs _leading to the second floor.

"_Hello, Rigby." _Pops greeted in his usual, _gleeful attitude. He smiled as the boy passed him and began to walk up the steps._

_"_Hey, Pops." _Rigby said quietly, _as he continued to walk towards _what was his room; _and _now, _is just a _bed for the night..._

Pops _frowned, _as he had noticed the boy seemed; _vacant, _like his _emotions had fled him..._

_He watched the boy, _as he walked up the stairs, _and as he did; he turned into the hallway, _leaving Pops' sight.

As he did so, Pops turned around; _and noticed Skips had walked in..._

As Skips entered, and closed the door behind him; _Pops spoke up._

_"Skips... Is there something the matter with Rigby?" _Pops asked rather _hesitantly, _Skips turned to entirely face Pops before answering.

_"No..." Skips' stomach sank, "No... He said he was fine..." Skips replied slowly, _realizing that what he said _was most likely not the truth..._

_"Oh..." _Pops replied, _as he sensed the tone in Skips' voice. _Pops could feel the _shattered _presence of the boy; and _he frowned due to it. _

Rigby and Pops had become closer _recently, _he even would occasionally play _video games _with boy. There were many nights where _Pops _walked in on the boy, playing a two player game, _with one controller in a vacant seat; causing Rigby to have to sometimes reach over and press a few buttons on the controller to advance in progress on the game._

Pops remembered that he joined the _boy, _and _had little to no idea at what he was doing... _The thing that _surprised Pops though, _is that they had to repeat the same level of the game _for the whole time; due to Pops accidentally falling off cliffs, or getting hit by enemy bugs._

_But he remembered how much Rigby enjoyed it... _He was _giddy _at the fact _that somebody was playing it with him. _Rigby was the type of person in life _who was not a loner, _so when _Pops had come over; his desolation, had been replaced with small laughs; and grins._

Pops over time, _had realized how child-like Rigby was. _But _not _in a bad way. _The simplest things could make the boy laugh, _he was curious just about_, _well; _everything. And his temper was also something comparable to that of a child's. _

Pops had found the characteristic's of the boy _rather interesting... _They varied over _many areas, _and were always _unpredictable..._

He sighed, as the boy lately_...seemed so different. His eyes were troubled, his words were hollow, and his stance was defeated..._

_His mind wondered as to if the boy was going to be alright... If he need help, assistance, or anything Pops was able to lend a hand for._

Pops sighed, as he had heard Rigby close the door a few minutes ago_, and realized that he had most likely locked it. _

_Pops frowned_, as there, _unfortunately, _was nothing _he could do _for the boy _now..._

* * *

Rigby sat on the edge of his bed, as his _new violin _sat beside him on the floor. The boy had his knee's perched, as he laid his face upon them, and the top of his head with his arms.

The boy sat there, and just..._Didn't move._

_The boy had run out of options, as he had lost all of his pieces; and only his king remained on the chess board._

_Everything seemed so...surreal. _As if he could just blink his eyes, and _everything would go away._

_Yet, _he realized; that it _indeed, was true. His life was crumbling, and he didn't have enough power to stop it..._

_The boy lifted his head, _as he looked around; _he saw all of the items that had brought back such better memories than the ones he was creating now..._

He suddenly had _the urge, to get up and destroy all of it... But he held it back... _Realizing, _it would only make him filled with regret._

He then hesitantly shuffled a bit as he laid back on his bed. H_is feet were still on the floor, _his knees wrapping around the edge of the bed. As his messy hair had left his face and laid on the bed below, revealing his _lifeless yellow eyes; a small abandoned frown on the boy's face..._

_"Maybe..." Rigby began quietly..._

_"Maybe when Skips had killed me, I should have stayed dead..." _Rigby concluded, _as his voice was shaky; _he felt _fear_ and _worry_ run throughout his body, and it showed _no signs of relenting..._

_He sat there in in silence, as he continued to look up to the ceiling... His eyes were hollow, and his frown was emotionless... He realized at this moment that he truly had lost his will to live..._

_"Checkmate...I have lost..." He quietly, and desolately said... before he eventually closed his eyes..._

_Hoping he would merely fade from existence..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading! :) I hope you enjoyed! :) I hope to have the next chapter out soon :) And thanks for all the reviews! :D I appreciate the kind words :). Thanks again all! :) **_


	6. Termination

_**Cessation**_

_**Chapter Six: Termination**_

* * *

_"Rigby..." Rigby began to stir..._

_"Rigby..." Rigby shuffled a bit more..._

_"Rigby..;..." Rigby slowly opened his eyes, _as he rubbed his hands on them to _adjust them to the harsh light._

He slowly sat up afterwards, and let out a small yawn. He blinked a few times as he sat up, and when his vision cleared_; he was shocked by what he saw as his eyes went wide..._

"Dude, _come on. _Margaret and Eileen are _waiting for us. _And I _don't _want to be late, _because you couldn't wake up." A familiar voice ordered..._

Rigby sat there for a moment with _wide-eyes_, wondering if the _visuals_ he was seeing, were indeed, _true. _There was a certain _familiar figure _that was standing _mere feet _away from him, he awaited it's next actions.

_"Well? Are you getting up, or what?" _The voice called out once more, as it's irritation in its tone grew.

"_Mordecai!" Rigby said ecstatically, _as a grin spread across his face. Rigby smiled as he stood up and walked to his friend, Rigby suddenly did something _even he, _would not have expected...

Subconsciously, Rigby had hugged Mordecai, in mere seconds _however; _Mordecai had pushed him off. He then chimed in angrily afterwards.

_"Dude! What the heck! No hugs! Don't you remember the pact? And where did that even come from?!"_ Mordecai said with _great agitation, his eyes narrowed at his smaller friend._

_"I'm sorry I'm sorry, I just... I had the worst nightmare; that you left, along with everyone else at the park! And you went off with CJ, I got kicked out of the house, and that we started to not become friends..." Rigby said quickly and nervously, he slowed down _and began to _mumble; dropping his head and gaze to the floor as he did so towards _the end of the statement_; as the hurt was still evident. _

Mordecai sat there for a moment, _wide-eyed _at the _sudden _outburst from his friend... Then, _suddenly, _the blue and black haired boy let out a chuckle; causing _Rigby _to look up back towards his friend.

"Dude, _I would never leave you. So stop freaking, and get ready." _Mordecai said as he turned away from his friend and started walked towards the door, _Rigby _gave a small smile_ in glee _as he did so...

Suddenly, his friend halted; _and simply stood there for a moment..._

_"_Well, _not in this life; anyways..." The blue and black haired boy began quietly, _catching _Rigby off guard..._

_Rigby went wide eyed... "W-...W-What?" Rigby began hesitantly._

_Mordecai let out a small chuckle, "_Well... _This is your world, _so even _if I did; _want to leave... _I couldn't." Rigby's stomach sank, as he began to realize what Mordecai was saying...Yet he didn't want to accept it..._

_"Mordecai... W-What do you mean...?" Rigby began cautiously, as he realized how much time became a factor...He didn't want to accept what he was hearing... He hesitantly walked up closer behind his friend..._

_"Goodbye,Rigby." The blue and black haired boy said suddenly, Rigby's stomach sank; as his eyes went wide..._

_Suddenly, _the floor beneath _Rigby _turned into a _black sludge like substance, _that felt _as if it were quick sand...Rigby let out a yelp, as his ankles began to sink..._

_Mordecai turned his head as he watched his friend sink through the corner of his eye, a small smirk ran over his mouth; a chaotic presence engulfed Mordecai's face..._

_"Mordecai! No! Please!" Rigby began as he continued to sink, he tried to struggle and break free; but that only made it worse. The sludge was slowly sinking the boy in... Causing Rigby to panic, as he did everything he could think of..._

_Eventually, the black sludge had made it up to his waist..._

_"Wait Mordecai!" The small boy yelped _as _suddenly, _the _sinking stopped... Rigby looked up to his friend with panic ridden eyes; his friend, who was now looking away once more..._

_"What is it." Mordecai said directly, _a _harsh_ tone _echoed throughout his voice..._

Rigby stayed idle for a moment_, before he spoke up..._

_"_D-D-Don't_...D-Don't you care about...Our friendship?" Rigby asked in a near panic filled whimper..._

_Mordecai let out a small chuckle and shook his head as he pinched his nose. He then turned around and faced Rigby, a smirk was still evident on his face as he looked down at his sinking friend...Mordecai's haunting, lifeless, narrowed eyes pierced Rigby's...He then, began to speak..._

_"Has it really taken it you; this long, to figure out? That our 'friendship', has been one sided... Do not pretend you haven't noticed. I'm amazed I even lasted as long as I did; tolerating your presence." Mordecai said emotionlessly, as he gave a sinister smile to his friend..._

_Suddenly, Rigby felt..._

_Broken..._

_He felt as if some of those words...Were true... As they echoed through his conscious, he felt as if daggers were beginning to cut through him..._

_Suddenly, the pool began to sink once more... As Rigby's body slowly was engulfed... However, this time..._

_He accepted it..._

_He frowned as his he felt lost, and his eyes looked downwards, filled with defeat... He hoped, that if he was lucky... This sinking pool, would be his death..._

_As it engulfed him, it slowly made his way up to his neck... His eyes were still focused downwards, as he muttered out something slowly, before the pool engulfed him entirely... Rigby looked up as he heard foot steps, he saw Mordecai walking away and leaving him behind... He looked down once more in despair..._

_"I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry...I wasn't a good friend to you...Mordecai." Rigby said, as he bit his lip to stop himself from keeping his tears from falling from his eyes; he felt as if he were to let out the tears, the small sum of his pride and dignity that remained would vanish..._

_He closed his eyes harshly, while biting his lip that began to bleed from the pressure of his teeth... He felt the sludge had made it's way up to his jaw, and not long after; over his mouth..._

_He accepted his end as he felt the sludge slowly began to entirely engulf his head, he felt as the sludge had made it to the bridge of his nose, as he opened his eyes once more to see an empty room; his friend had left, and he was all alone once more... He then kept them open, as the sludge made it's way into his eyes; yet, he was unable to feel pain from it...Not long afterwards; the sludge entirely engulfed his head... Leaving the boy to drown..._

Rigby slowly opened his eyes _as he awoke... _He felt the usual _soaked_ bed from sweat, and felt his hair and clothes; _drenched. _He put his hand to his head as he felt it was still moist, as sweat rubbed off onto his hand.

He _sighed, _he wish he _could say this nightmare surprised him... But; it didn't..._

After Mordecai left, Rigby had developed an issue where he had nightmares _nearly every night..._

They _varied over multiple topics; his childhood, his future, Mordecai, his parents, Don, and his life in general..._

There were times he would just _not _sleep so he wouldn't have to deal with them, he would usually just stare at a wall all night; _or, _if he was feeling stealthy, _sneak _downstairs and watch television repeats for _six hours in a row..._

Rigby sat up as _let out a sigh, he frowned as he realized this was his last day in this room..._

_'So, this is my last bit of time in here... All the memories, now maybe won't haunt me at least... Maybe I can pawn some of my stuff so I can get a room at a motel for a few days, otherwise; I'll have to find an alley to crash in...' Rigby _thought dejectedly, as a saddened frown spread his face...

_He really was going to miss this room, though; this room had become a burden on Rigby's emotional state; he still didn't feel more at home than in this room... Even at his parent's house, it just didn't feel the same..._

_Suddenly Rigby's eyes widened as a realization sat in..._

He quickly bumped his clock with his hand, so that it would rotate, and its bright letters _would tell him the time._

_As he did and saw the time, his stomach sank..._

_'11:41...Son of a...' Rigby had his thoughts cut off as he heard knocking at his door, he turned his head toward the door; as he hesitantly questioned the intrusion._

_"Who is it?" Rigby questioned nervously, as his wide eyes focused upon the door._

_"It's Skips, I just wanted to check in... I'm giving you the new two day's off so you can get all your stuff organized...It's about twenty minutes until the new workers are gonna arrive, are you going to be alright?" Skips said in a worried tone._

_"Yeah yes, I should be fine. Thanks though. And I appreciate that." Rigby replied quickly as he jumped up from his bed and ran towards his closet._

_"Alright, I'll leave you to it then..." Skips said quietly as Rigby heard his foot steps slowly skip away from his door..._

_Rigby quickly opened his closet, as a great deal of junk fell out and rolled onto the floor..._

_"Crap..." Rigby said quietly, as he realized this was going to be near impossible to complete in nineteen minutes..._

He crouched down as he quickly grabbed a random bag and starting stuffing all of his stuff inside of it, _nearly all of the objects he had were with an excerpt involving Mordecai... It pained him knowing that keeping all these things; Mordecai would not be coming back to relive them with him..._

He ignored that thought though, _as he was flustered, and had to get all of his stuff ready as soon as possible. _

_He quickly stuffed more and more of his stuff and cramped it into the bag; _he left the broken and destroyed items in the closet as he had _no use for them anymore, sure they brought back better times; but they were still broken... And he simply didn't have the room._

_He sighed as he then quickly stood up, and ripped some of the clothes from his hangers; stuffing them into his bag..._

_He then ran over to the dresser with his bag as he opened the drawers and grabbed some of his under garments, socks, bracelets, and other accessories; and afterwards, they along with everything else were piled into his bag..._

_He then grabbed his phone, and stuffed it in his pocket. _He then, _folded his trampoline bed; with his blankets inside of it; neatly tucked each blanket into the trampoline. As he finished folding it, he pulled the straps out from below it, _that essentially; _made the trampoline bed turn into something that resembled a backpack; however, it was unable to carry anything. He clicked the hinges, as he pulled one of the straps over his arm. He then, picked up the violin that was in its case, the one that Skips had given him the previous day._

He threw the other bag over his arm, as he walked over near the door and placed his feet in his shoes, they were still a bit loose on his feet but he ignored that.

_He looked back one last time, as he frowned upon seeing the bitter goodbye to his room become a reality..._

_"I...I'm not great at goodbyes, but... We shared great memories, and I'll see you later..." _Rigby said as he _then, turned towards his door. _And as he was about to leave, _he saw something under Mordecai's bed..._

He stopped in his tracks, as he set his stuff down; and walked to the side of Mordecai's bed. He then went down onto his hands and knees, reached under the bed, and _eventually grabbed _the unknown object...

As he pulled it out and put it towards his face, _it resembled a piece of paper... Rigby's eyes widened as he saw 'Trophtucket Photos' labeled across the white paper, he sat on his knees as he flipped the paper and saw something that made his eyes go wide; it made him sit back and resort to Indian style as his eyes scanned the photo..._

_It was a photo, of when Mordecai had won the 'Eggscellent' hat for Rigby, and brought _it to him _when he was in the hospitals... All of his friends were in the picture along with Mordecai; Hi-Five, Muscle Man, Skips, Pops, and Benson... He frowned as he saw how happy he had used to be with his friends by his side..._

_He sighed, _as he began to reminisce _about the photo... He remembered how glad he was when Mordecai won him that hat... _It seemed like it was _merely yesterday, _that it happened... _Yet he realized; it truly, had been awhile since that had happened... His eyes looked down sadly as he realized that none of these memories would be recreated in the future; as everyone had left, was gone, and had moved on... At least, everyone but him..._

_It caused the boy's stomach to stink, _it _just seemed like time would pass so fast you couldn't even blink; before everyone you know had left you..._

_Rigby, for old time's sake_; crawled over to one of his bags; as he sunk his hand down into it. He bit his lip as he shuffled his hand through the bag to find the _object of his desire..._

_Suddenly, _after a good deal of shuffling and scavenging _through the bag, Rigby had found the object he was on a treasure hunt for..._

_He pulled it out of the bag, with a quick motion of the arm... He stared at the object for a few seconds, before a small forlorn smile spread across his face... His eyes glistened with grief..._

_"I'm Eggscellent..." Rigby read the hat silently, _the blue and white hat had a few scuffs from time; _but he didn't mind, the memory was still precious enough for the boy to want to wear it..._

_He placed the hat on his head, as he gathered his belongings once more. As he gathered all of his items, he gently opened the door; and slowly began to walk out..._

_"Goodbye, room..." Rigby said quietly as he looked back once more on the empty room, before he slowly and silently shut the door behind him... He let out a small saddened sigh as he did so..._

He walked through the halls slowly, as he made his way to the steps; his gaze had been focused on the ground the whole time since departing his room...

He looked from the steps and saw Skips _conversing with two other figures..._

Rigby narrowed his eyes to make out the figures, _his stomach sank as he saw who they were..._

_Rigby saw two previous rivals of him and Mordecai..._

_A certain white haired boy with glasses, and a short spiked brown haired boy, named Chad and Jeremy..._

Rigby was tempted to immediately rush down the stairs and _tear away at their faces, but he resisted it... As he realized, he would be working with these two..._

_Rigby slowly walked down the stairs, as Skips, Chad, and Jeremy turned to face the boy as they heard him land on the first floor..._

_Immediately as the two new employees saw Rigby, they narrowed their eyes..._

_"_Oh; we had no _idea _you were still here. We figured you _would be off with your butt buddy friend." _Jeremy insulted as Skips frowned at the noticeably high tension in the room.

_Rigby kept quiet as he ignored the two as he walked to Skips, and let out a low sigh. Skips had a small smile seeing the 'Eggscellent' hat, accompanying the boy's head. Rigby looked towards his white haired friend as he began to speak..._

_"Skips, the room is all clear... Thanks for having me an extra year; I should have prepared for this better... I'm sorry for putting you through that with Maellard. But I appreciate your help to keep me living here..." Rigby said calmly, as his eyes became serious; he looked up at Skips awaiting his response._

_Skips gave him a warm smile, "No problem, pal." Skips said happily as he looked towards his young friend..._

_Rigby returned the warm smile; he then turned away from Skips and gathered his game console... He unplugged the wires in a flash, as he wrapped them around the game system along with the controllers. He put the games themselves in his bag in a flash as he gathered all of his remaining items. He then, after gathering everything; turned back towards Skips, Jeremy and Chad._

_He walked up to them before passing them with a saddened frown, his eyes seemed to have a great deal of woe within them... He then, after passing them; gently walked out the door, and left the park house silently... Skips, Jeremy, and Chad had watched the boy leave; Skips kept his warm smile upon the boy the whole time as he left..._

_However; after Rigby left, Skips' smile turned into a serious stare as he looked back towards his two new employees. A slightly irritable look came upon the immortal's face._

_"If either of you attempt anything unfavorable against him, I will not hesitate in firing you. So do not test me." Skips said harshly as he narrowed his eyes towards his two new workers..._

Chad and Jeremy _went wide-eyed _at the sudden _change _of _presence _from their boss, _at one point he seemed normal; and now he seemed incredibly angry..._

_'Forgive me, Rigby.." Skips thought with a small saddened sigh as he looked downwards, he felt Rigby leaving was his fault... His sorrow, then multiplied for his now homeless, forlorn friend..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey all! Thanks for reading, and thanks again for the reviews! :) I hope you liked this chapter, it's been the longest chapter so far throughout the story! :D So, that is a good thing, I think. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed; and a good amount of events are going to happen in the next few chapters. So I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters as well. :)**_


	7. Blacken

_**Cessation: Chapter Seven**_

_**Blacken**_

* * *

Rigby sighed as he slowly walked down the steps of the house, _he looked up and saw a vast variety of dark clouds..._

_"Damn." _Rigby cussed, _"What a great day to move out..." He said sarcastically, as he began to hear thunder..._

_He continued to walk as he reached the dirt pavement that met the bottom of the stairs, _he began to walk slowly down the path; _as he realized it would be awhile until he got to a motel..._

Luckily, _he had scrapped enough money together to stay a night at a cheap motel... _Which means, _he would have one final night with his video game system before he had to pawn it the next day..._

It's times like this _Rigby_ _really did wish that he had graduated high school, and afterwards; moved on to college..._

_Maybe then, he could ask his parents for assistance without feeling guilty... _Maybe then he wouldn't feel like a _failure..._

Even when Rigby and Mordecai fought over the fact that _if a high school diploma was useless or not, _Rigby had _always known Mordecai was right..._

However, _having a high school diploma did not necessarily mean you were intelligent or not; _it was just something _used to open more pathways in life... _And the current pathways that _Rigby had available to him right now, were limited to say the least..._

He nearly wanted to _give up; collapse, and let the world take him away... _Yet, _he realized it would never be that simple..._

_Life had never seemed so complex to Rigby than it did now; _maybe though, it was due to him _ignoring it with Mordecai, _rather than actually _realizing it_...

Rigby continued to walk further and more into the grassy plains as he looked up and saw _the clouds continuously get darker, they were ready to shed their tears onto the world in mere seconds..._

Rigby suddenly heard a _muffled exhaust _approaching, causing his head to resurface _it's gaze to the land below... He looked towards the sound yet saw nothing, _he then continued to walk as _he figured it was just a car crossing by his direction..._

_But, as Rigby walked, _he saw a _familiar car drive into the distance as it drown down the dirt pavement... _

_A certain car that belonged to a sandy blonde friend..._

The car suddenly continued to drive as it was closing in on Rigby, _and nearing eventually passing the boy... However, _as Rigby continued to walk and ignore the car as it drove closer to him; _it approached him, made it very close to him, and eventually halted by him upon arrival..._

Rigby stopped as he turned to his right side, he heard the rock station cranked in the car; he saw Thomas in the car; as he was having difficulty getting the key out, as it seemed the car was _weathered from time..._

_Suddenly, _Rigby saw Thomas unhinge the key from the car _with a quick thrust, _and Rigby afterwards; _saw Thomas exiting the car and opening the door. He closed the door behind him, as he walked around his car, and made his way to Rigby. He saw that Rigby had continued his gaze on him the whole time upon his arrival..._

_Thomas closed the distance_, as he approached his _smaller friend; as his eyes scanned the objects that Rigby had carried with him...He raised an eyebrow in confusion, as his stomach began to sink..._

_"Hey man, what's with the stuff? You going on vacation, or something?" _Thomas asked hesitantly, _as he assumed the worst; but didn't want to say it aloud..._

_"I wish..." _Rigby began slowly, as he looked downwards... Thomas immediately felt the melancholy ridden presence of his friend; _his words seemed so obliterated, as if he had lost all of his emotion behind them..._

_Thomas bit his lip as he replied, "W-Well, what's going on then...?" Thomas questioned nervously as his face turned into a frown..._

_"I over stayed my welcome, however; I do not mean that in a bitter sense... I only say it because it's true..." Rigby said sadly, as he looked towards the floor..._

_Thomas felt bad for his young friend, he began to speak to him once more after he had let Rigby's information set in..._

_"So, where are you going then...?" _Thomas questioned slowly, _as he looked towards the boy. However, he became uneasy upon seeing the feared ridden eyes that had haunted Rigby's face..._

"I..._I don't know..." Rigby said forlornly, as his eyes looked downward; as he too, was contemplating his future..._

_"You don't know?! Don't you have parents you can crash with?" Thomas asked quickly as his worry grew for his now homeless friend._

_Upon hearing this question, Rigby didn't want to be truthful with Thomas about why he was avoiding his parents... He chose to take the simpler route in answering Thomas' question..._

_"No, not really..." Rigby said lowly, as his mind raced over his parents; and all he could remember was the displeasure in their eyes... The disappointment that over took their features upon Rigby's presence..._

_"Dude, where the hell are you going to go?" Thomas asked more seriously, as he got to the point quickly; his distress for his friend grew rapidly..._

_"Well, I was going to go to a motel tonight..." Rigby replied quietly, as he brought his hand to his mouth in thought... His eyes narrowing downwards as he continued his thought process..._

_"And after that?" Thomas immediately questioned, _Rigby was a nice friend and all... _But sometimes, he could seem extremely irresponsible; as if he stopped caring about everything..._

_"Hmm..." Rigby thought aloud, "I don't know...I'll improvise I guess..." Rigby said ashamed, as his gaze looked downwards; a frown evident on his face..._

_"Dude! What the hell?! Your telling me you have nowhere to go?" _Thomas said _in irritation, which was; out of character for Thomas... But, _the circumstances were different... _His friend was going to be sleeping in the city streets soon, and had no other options..._

Thomas held his hand in on his head in thought, as he suddenly began walking; and circling his previous position, as he was trying to come up with a solution_... He realized he had a small quantity of choices, and had to rely on his last resort... He let out a long sigh..._

_Suddenly, Thomas then, walked back towards Rigby as he made a few calming hand gestures that looked as if he was pushing something that was imagined by him in mid-air... _

_"Alright alright, look._" Thomas _began_, causing Rigby to look up towards him in confusion. _Thomas let out one more sigh before he began slowly..._

_"_I'm going to drop you off at a motel tonight... Then, I'm going to go to my house and then I'm going to talk with my mom... _And I'm going to see...if I can have you stay with us..." _Thomas said slowly, _as he completed the puzzle in his mind... _His tone became _slightly _more silent near the end_, as he thought of explaining this chaotic situation to his mother..._

_Rigby immediately shot back upon hearing Thomas' plan, "Dude, no! I'm not relying on other people! I've made that mistake a few times before, and I don't want to make it again!" Rigby said as his agitation grew, _the thought of relying on others... _It made him feel anxious and paranoid, he wasn't sure if he could do it again... _Because ever since _Mordecai _left, _his life has fallen apart; and crumbled to pieces... He was already going through misery and despair each day, and simply did not want to add any more onto it..._

_"Oh yeah? _Then what choices _do you have? _I see a very limited amount, _and I'm giving you the best possible option right now. So you are going to have to accept it, rather you like it; or not." Thomas said sternly, _as he began to become more _direct _with his friend; and_ did not _want to dance around the issue_, anymore._

_Rigby slightly went wide eyed, as his mouth opened a bit... He was truly shocked by Thomas' new unfamiliar sternness and his unwilling to back down... However, _he ignored that, _as he let out a low growl towards his friend through his gritted teeth that Thomas visibly noticed... _He wanted to _fire back; yet, he could not think of anything to say... _He didn't want to admit it_, but, Thomas was right... _He truly _was, out of options..._

_Suddenly, Rigby felt a familiar feeling..._His gritted teeth _let loose, _as his _growl left... He narrowed his eyes as he looked downwards as his eyes focused on the ground below... He couldn't recognize why everything seemed so familiar,, as suddenly; he looked back up as he tried to ignore his thoughts, and what he saw made his eyes go wide..._

There was_... Mordecai, standing in front of him; in the flesh... Rigby's eyes were wide, as suddenly he closed his eyes looking downwards and rubbed them as he wanted to clarify that Mordecai was indeed, right in front of him... As he did, he opened his eyes shortly after and looked up..._

_However, when he looked up; it was no one else, other than Thomas standing directly in front of him. _Rigby raised his brows in confusion_, as he looked around him and rotated his body to search the landscape for a familiar friend... Yet there was nothing..._

_'W-What the hell... Was that?' Rigby thought to himself, as he blinked a few times while continuing to look around, to determine rather or not if he was legitimately becoming insane..._

_"What's wrong?" Thomas questioned _as his stern gaze hadn't _lightened_ _in the least, however, it was now just accompanied by a confused raised eyebrow... _He was curious _as to why _Rigby was _looking and searching around him, as he saw the panicked look in his friend's eyes..._

Rigby _stopped _searching when Thomas had spoke_; he had been so distracted by that vision, he nearly forgot that his friend was still stand right there... He turned to face Thomas, and as he did looked towards him._

_"S-Sorry, it's nothing..." _Rigby said quietly; as he finished speaking, his gaze dropped towards the floor. He still was somewhat, _flabbergasted; at what he had seen. He didn't understand what it was; nor why it was even there in the first place..._

_Suddenly, _rain began to start falling... As its pace in mere seconds _rapidly increased, causing Thomas to speak up towards Rigby as the rain began to pour down..._

_"Okay, man; it's really starting to get soaked out here; come on, just get in the car. If you don't, your game system is going to fry." Thomas suddenly said once more; he tried to use the game system as a bargaining chip..._

Suddenly, _Rigby thought about it for a moment... _There was _some truth _to what _Thomas _had said, _his console was not going to last long out here... And he needed it for another night at the motel; and he was far away from any type of shelter when going on foot..._

_"Damn it..." Rigby cursed under his breath as he gritted his teeth, he looked around and considered his options... _And to be truthful, _there really were none..._

_"Ugggghhhh; fine!" Rigby _then suddenly said_, as he realized he had run out of time... _It made the boy feel incredibly uncomfortable having to rely on _anyone for anything anymore; _so he hoped after Thomas dropped him off at the motel_, that he would just leave him be..._

_Thomas, _upon hearing his small friend's announcement.; _flashed him a smile. _His gaze lightened from its previous stern appearance; _he now seemed like Thomas again, rather than someone else..._

_"Awesome, here; let me pop the trunk." _Thomas said happily, as he then turned around, and made his way towards the driver side door. He then opened it, as he leaned his torso inside and head inside; and as he moved his arms around in his car; _Rigby eventually heard a clicking sound..._

_Thomas then, _removed his head and torso from the car, as he made his way around back towards the trunk. He waved his hand towards him as a motion for Rigby to head over his way...

Rigby _began hesitantly, _as he still _was nervous about having to rely on Thomas; _even if it _was, just for a car ride... _

_Thomas rolled his eyes as he saw his friend's hesitation, he let out a sigh as he spoke. _

_"Dude seriously; _just get your ass over here_, _I'm getting soaked." Thomas said as his irritation grew; _he wondered how the hell Mordecai put up with how damn stubborn Rigby was..._

_Rigby then walked over entirely, _he looked at Thomas with narrowed eyes and his lips pursed in irritation; before he stuck his tongue out at him. Although _Rigby was twenty-three, he was still as childish as ever..._

_Thomas simply _ignored Rigby as he watched his small friend slowly put in his bags; after he had put in his violin and tramponline...backpack, thing..._Okay, to be honest; Thomas had no idea what the hell it was... But _after he had put _all of the listed materials in, Thomas closed the trunk as afterwards; the two walked to their respected doors. _

Thomas made his way into the driver seat as he closed his door, he clicked on his seat belt as he looked towards his right and noticed through the window that Rigby was still sitting out in the rain with an irritated pursed frown on his face along with narrowed eyes; he was near soaking wet as he had his hand on the door _causing Thomas to realize what was wrong..._

He saw the knob on the inside of the passenger door still stumped down, as he realized, _that he forgot to unlock the door on the passenger's side..._

He forced himself to hold back a laugh before he leaned over and unlocked the door for Rigby, as he did so, _Rigby immediately opened it and quickly got inside, shutting it behind him..._

_As he did, _he slowly looked left towards Thomas with a _grouchy and annoyed look on his face; water was dripping from his hair and face as he did so..._

_Thomas couldn't hold it back anymore, as he let out a chuckle. _He bit his lip as he tried to resist the want to let loose and laugh entirely_; but it was proving to be challenging..._

_"Yeah, it's reeeaaaal hilarious Thomas." Rigby said sarcastically, "Just drive the damn car!" _He said_ in great annoyance, as he crossed his arms as he looked away out his window..._

_Thomas continued to suppress his laughs, as he placed his key in the ignition and turned the key; the car eventually turned on when suddenly..._

_Thomas had just remembered as soon as he turned his car on, that he had forgot to turn down the music before he exited the car..._

_*Drum solo* *Guitar solo* "HELLO! WE ARE FIRST PUMP! ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!" _

_Rigby's eyes went wide as he jumped, uncrossed and flailed his limbs at the extremely loud noise and bumped his head on the roof, as he sunk in his chair afterwards...He looked around with wide startled eyes... He then afterwards looked at Thomas with the same startled wide eyes that he had when the song turned..._

_Thomas turned down the volume as he completely busted out laughing as he leaned his face on the steering wheel and slammed his hand into it... Rigby let out a low growl with gritted teeth and narrowed eyes..._

_"Damn it Thomas!" Rigby cussed, "It's only been like, three seconds; and I'm already hating this!" Rigby yelled as he gritted his teeth, and once again; crossed his arms, and looked away..._

_Thomas continued to laugh heavily as Rigby kept his arms crossed with an agitated 'hmph'; as he looked away and out the passenger window with a grumpy expression and irate eyes..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey all! I figured I'd keep it mixed up with a slightly more upbeat chapter this time around; this story is probably going to end up being extremely long from what I can tell, as I still have a ton of ideas for this going... So I'm excited to dish those out in the next upcoming chapters. :) Thanks for coming! :D**_


	8. Repressed

_**Cessation: Chapter Eight**_

_**Repressed**_

* * *

Rigby sighed as he and Thomas _continued _to drive towards the motel; _he looked out through his window, _as many recollections of happier times would _show their face._

_Currently, _the two were stopped as a light; _as _Fist Pump played _their instruments like mad men; _over the speaker...

_Rigby looked out as he saw many people enjoying the summer; _as the sun glistened off of many windows; beautiful to those who _enjoyed the sun..._

_There was many people who however didn't enjoy the sun; _and one of those people, _had become of Rigby._

_Rigby _always used to enjoy summer, _especially _back in his days of schooling. _Yet, _now it just seemed..._Empty._

_Empty _because it seemed that one of the major factors of summer, _had been to make new memories; make friends, and rejoice at freedom with existing friends. _

However, _it seemed as if the last two summers for Rigby; just seemed hollow, and dull. As if nothing happened, _he remembered spending the majority of his time in his room in _depression_ and _sorrow._

And he felt guilty that he was unable to go out_, make new memories, and make new friends... Yet, _he simply _did not _have the courage to commit to such an _act. _

He remembered the times in which _he did _manage to _muster the strength _to depart, and go socializing. _That it was all fake._

His _responses, fake; his emotions, fake; his joy, fake. _It was all a unnecessary charade to attempt to forget about painful thoughts_; yet, when ever he did this; it always seems his mind would only wonder about the thing he was trying so desperately to forget..._

_Rigby, however; remembered enjoying winter... The snow falling at a pace so slow, yet so cautious; seeming to never rush to find a home. Rigby felt that with winter, and the dangerous icy roads; _he at least _found a reason _to _not feel guilty for secluding himself in the haven of that room..._

Rigby had spent _so much time in that room; _that he could have _sworn multiple times, that the walls had spoke to him... Their eerie voices playing the thoughts that he could not say aloud in his head; the dejection he had felt when he was the only one home; and everybody was out enjoying the holidays..._

He remembered the brief times _when Eileen had come over to wonder why he wasn't outside more, and at the coffee shop... And he pretended to be unaware of this factor; and how Eileen had eventually stopped coming after she had figured he simply did not care; however, that was far from the truth... He did care, and he most likely could not put into words how much he appreciated to know that at least one person in this dark world had cared about him..._

He remembered summer as the time that _Mordecai had lost interest with his friend, the time that Eileen had given up on him after he had broken their friendship with repeated stubbornness, the time that because of his actions; his former boss had a threatening health condition..._

_He remembered summer as the time when all of the curses placed upon him would make their move without remorse. His forsaken hope would be demolished as summer where overwhelm him with it's false hope._

_Rigby remembered telling himself multiple times to hang in there; and that it would get better, _that it was just a mere crack in his_ optimism that would resurface after time... Yet, he knew that this; simply was not true... His life recently; had been a cruel, chaotic, and maddening dream that seemed to never relent._

_However, Rigby shook his head; as he realized he was being consumed by his thoughts once more..._

He noticed that _they were now driving once more; the song playing being different; and they were in a different place then they were before. _Rigby realized _he must have been subconsciously day dreaming; to not realize this, _as he was looking out the window...

Suddenly, he looked back towards the radio _as he noticed Thomas' hand had turned down the music... As he slightly had narrowed his eyes, as it seemed he had something on his mind..._

_"_Hey, _Rigby." _Thomas began as his eyes still focused on the road in front of him. A frown became evident on _his face._

_"What is it." Rigby faked annoyance, _as he still simmered _over the music and car incident..._

_"I just wanted to say..." Thomas began but hesitated; as he thought of a preferable way to map out what he was saying..._

Rigby sat in confusion, _as he watched with a raised brow, as Thomas drove while staring at the road; as his words had paused momentarily. _

_"Well?" _Rigby asked in the _same annoyed tone, as he kept up the charade of false irritation. Thomas sighed as he closed his eyes for a mere second before they emerged once more from his parting eye lids... He let one of his hands off the steering wheel before speaking._

_"_I just wanted to say_, _that, _I know Mordecai and you were best bro's and all; and I along with everyone else at the park has noticed how you've been without him... But, I wanted to say that; though, I probably wouldn't be as good of a friend to you as Mordecai was; I'm always open to do something even considered as trivial as hanging out. I would be glad to lend a helping hand in anything you need, and just be an ear for listening in general." Thomas spoke, as he took a moment to catch his breath before resuming..._

_"_I realize a lot of people at the park were simply _unable to warm up to me, and still can't. I realize this because I've been nearly let go from the park multiple times; and it seemed little to nobody cared. However, I realize saying this will make little to no difference, I just wanted to say that; if you ever need a friend, I'll gladly be there." _Thomas said somewhat _forlornly, _as he placed both of his hands now back on the steering wheel.

_Rigby had been taken aback by what Thomas said, he looked towards him with wide eyes; as what Thomas had said caught him off guard... Rigby opened his mouth a few times and closed it, trying to think of a reply... Yet, it proved extremely difficult..._

_"Alright...Thanks." Is all Rigby could muster up with his voice, he felt slightly guilty he didn't give a reply more in nature with Thomas' miniature speech..._

_"Anytime." Thomas said quickly as they continued to drive, he then sighed as he turned the music back up as Fist Pump's instruments blared through the speakers once more..._

_He wasn't sure what had triggered that from Thomas, _but, _he chose to leave it be for the time being..._

Thomas had seemed, incredibly _different _recently...He seemed more _serious _and _direct _recently; _as if there were something that had been troubling him... Though, _many things had changed in the park; _Thomas was one of the unique caliber, _that had seemed nearly _entirely unaffected by the change..._

_Rigby wasn't sure if Thomas truly didn't care some times, or if he just had chosen to ignore it; and resume on with his daily business..._

But Rigby chose to temporarily put this thought on _hiatus, as he saw that they were coming close to a motel..._

_Truthfully; _Rigby _did _appreciate the action of _Thomas _driving the boy _here, however; _he _was paranoid that people would get wrapped up in the chaos recently that he had known for his life..._

_Rigby sighed, as he let his pride die down before he spoke up; _that way, _it didn't seem untruthful, nor forced._

"_Thomas." Rigby spoke up directly; _Thomas hadn't turned up the music as loud as it was previously; so there was no _necessity _to turn it down to hear his friend.

"Yeah?" _Thomas spoke up, _he was somewhat _surprised _that _Rigby _was about _to _start a brief conversation; as Thomas had figured that he was still _upset about the whole radio incident..._

"Thanks for the ride, _I do _appreciate it..." Rigby said, as _he swallowed his pride. _He faced his gaze towards the passenger window, _as he avoided looking towards Thomas..._

_Thomas' lips twitched into a smile, "No problem, man." _He replied casually, he was thankful Rigby had said that, _realizing how damn stubborn his small friend could be sometimes..._

Not long afterwards, _Thomas pulled his car into the parking lot of the motel. _He drove around for _mere seconds, _before he _found a space in which he halted; and parked his car in..._Thomas then pulled the clutch, afterwards he turned the key and pulled it out; _turning the car off entirely. His head turned to face his friend._

Rigby let out a sigh, _as it was still raining heavily outside; and it seemed that it was never going relent... Thomas had noticed this, and decided to speak up._

_"_Hey man,_ you need me to help you with those bags or anything?" Thomas began hesitantly_, as he looked towards his smaller friend.

Rigby_ sighed _as he_ shook _his head slowly, "No. Thanks though. It just _figures it has to pour today, _I guess _god_ just hates me." Rigby said solemnly as he unbuckled his seat belt.

Thomas let out a small chuckle, _as he didn't realize how seriously Rigby had meant what he said..._

He then gave a determined _'hmph hmph', before he quickly opened his door; closed it behind him, and ran towards the trunk. _Thomas_ quickly _unlocked the trunk as he saw his friend heading towards it.

Rigby _hastily_ opened the trunk, as he pulled out his bags, violin, and his trampoline bed. He quickly threw the foldable trampoline's strap over his shoulder, as he grabbed one of his bags; and his violin.

He wondered if it _was really necessary _to lug around this _violin, was he really going to play it? Or was it just going to gather dust? _He currently had _no answer for that, _as he closed the trunk and began to jog towards the motel as he quickly waved at _Thomas; as _he returned a wave from his hand that was resting on the steering wheel.

Rigby rushed towards the small _check in _house that was sitting to the left _of the motel rooms. _Rain _continued _to pour, as he eventually; _made it to the door, opened it; causing a bell to ring, and quickly walked in. _

He closed the door behind him, the bell rang _once more, he put his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. _

_"Hello and welcome!...Rigby?" A familiar feminine voice said curiously, _causing Rigby to look up from his exhausted state...

He saw a familiar _red and black _haired girl working at the counter with a _raised_ eyebrow at the boy, he could see _she was perplexed _as to why he was showing up to _a motel in the first place..._

_"Hey...M-Margaret." He said nervously, as he realized he was going to have to explain to her his current situation; due to his impending luggage... _He then walked slowly up to the counter _where the taller girl stood behind..._

"What's up with _all the bags?" _She asked rather directly with her eyebrow remaining raised; her curiosity was peaked at the current situation...

_Rigby fumbled a bit as he looked down while _arriving at the counter, he set down his bags before speaking.

"I-I uh, i-it's uhh..." _He mumbled _as he tried to find a way so he wouldn't _hopefully _get the third degree that _Thomas _had given earlier, though; him and _Margaret _really _didn't _know each other much, _he still had figured due to the past get together's with Mordecai and Eileen, he would still be given the a similar reaction to the one Thomas had..._

He then set his hands on the edge of the counter, _as he let out a small and nervous chuckle; _as he _scratched the back of his head..._

_"I-It's a funny story..." He began nervously as he lowered his gaze somewhat, _however the only thing that was on his mind, was_; distraction, distraction, distraction... Suddenly, _something _obvious _came to mind _that he honestly had no idea why he didn't think of until now. _And that was, _why was Margaret working at a motel?..._

_"Hey Margaret," Rigby began cautiously, "what are you doing working at a motel? Shouldn't you be working at the coffee shop?" Rigby asked as he found a distraction, _however; he _indeed, was somewhat curious. _

_Margaret's brow lowered as she replied, "Oh, I had to take a second job..." She said with a frown as her gaze dropped downwards, "I'm getting less hours than normal at the coffee shop ever since my initial leave for college, plus I've been needing extra money lately... Classes have costed more, and with the economy lately; my rent has been sky rocketing..." _She replied truthfully as she resurfaced her gaze onto the smaller boy in front of her.

Rigby gave a _sad frown as his eyebrows raised somewhat, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." Rigby _said _sympathetically, as he completely forgot about the impending situation..._

_She shrugged, _"It's okay, you have to make due with what you are given." _She said truthfully, "Thanks though anyways... But... You never answered my question, what's up with the bags?" _She asked once more, _however this time; a more serious expression engulfed her face once more, as she was not going to let Rigby dodge it again..._

_Rigby bit his lip, before letting out a sigh... "I sort of..." He began as he scratched the back of his head, "...I sort of got kicked out of the park house..." Rigby said hesitantly as he gave a nervous smile..._

_"Sort of? _How is that '_sort of'? And why?" She asked seriously, as she looked the boy dead in the eyes..._

_"Well, umm... We got two new workers, and they needed a place to live... So I had been living there for a bit more than two years, so..." Rigby said as he frowned, looking downwards. _

_"Dude, what the heck?! Why didn't you tell me about this when we talked yesterday?" She said sternly, as she was upset at the fact that her friend would leave her in the dark..._

_Rigby's eyes went wide as he replied while gently waving his hands in front of him, "W-Well, I didn't know yet; I had only gotten word of it until I went home after we talked... Though I had been warned previously months ago, I guess it really only caught my attention when I was told yesterday..." Rigby said with a sad frown as he bit his lip, looking downwards..._

_"Jeez..." Margaret began, she then rolled her eyes with a sigh. "_Mordecai was right, _you really are, hopeless." She said in frustration as she narrowed her eyes at the smaller boy._

_"Hey!" Rigby yelled as he stood more upright than before, he narrowed his eyes in reply at the girl and gritted his teeth. He showed his teeth as the two sat there in a stare off for a few seconds; _before _Margaret eventually broke it, _as she looked towards her computer. She spoke up as she did so.

"So, _I assume you'll be needing a room, then? Correct?" She then asked, _as she began to type on the computer that her _narrowed eyes _rested on.

_"Yes." Rigby grumbled as he crossed his arms and looked away with narrowed eyes with a 'hmph!', his lips were pursed in irritation as well... He then heard typing, as he looked back towards Margaret; before turning away once more, arms still crossed._

_"Alright." She began as she turned around, and picked up a key ring that was hanging on the wall behind her; she searched through it for a moment, before she found the correct key; and slid it off. _

She then turned around once more, as she looked at the computer once more for clarification. She then leaned over the counter as she held her hand out with the key in it.

"_Your room is 103... Here's the key." She said as her gaze focused on the boy in front of her, with her hand still held out._

_Rigby _then_ turned back towards her; his eyes were wide and confused as his pursed lips turned into a frown that was mutual with his eyes. He looked at her in confusion for a moment before speaking up..._

"But..._don't I have to pay?" _He looked towards her _as his eyes still were ridden with confusion..._

_She sighed as she closed her eyes slowly, and opened them once more; her hand was still held out..._

_"No...It's on the house." Margaret said calmly with a tinge of irritation on her tone, _as she looked towards the smaller boy who had _just realized what she meant..._

_"B-But, I can-" Rigby was cut off immediately. _

_"Ugh, Rigby; just take the freaking key." She said as her irritation was apparent, as she gritted her teeth, as her annoyance was rising._

_Rigby looked at her for a moment nervously, _before he hesitantly put his hands under hers; as she dropped the key in his hands, she then removed hand away, as she turned around, walked towards the wall she was at previously and _hung the key ring back in it's rightful position._

She then turned around once more as she saw _Rigby _still sitting there, looking down at the key that was sitting in his hands; _as if it were a bomb._

_"Well? Are you going to go to your room?" She said as annoyance still slightly tickled her voice..._

_"Oh! Right, sorry." Rigby said; as he jumped when Margaret pulled him from his stupor, and caught him by surprise... Margaret focused her gaze once more on the motel's computer._

He _fidgeted a bit, as he put the key in his pocket. _He then picked up his bags hastily as he _instinctively_ was about to turn away and walk out_, but stopped himself before he did. He bit his lip before he spoke up once more..._

_"Hey Margaret..." He began hesitantly, as he looked towards the girl. Margaret turned her gaze from the computer back to the boy as she heard him speak to her._

_"Yeah?" Margaret asked curiously as her eyes focused on the boy; her irritation now seemed to be close to dying down entirely, if not already._

_Rigby gave a small genuine sheepish smile as a slight redness stained his cheeks, "Thanks...F-For this, I mean." He said nervously as he looked towards the girl, his smile still present..._

_Margaret sat for a moment slightly wide eyed in surprise, before she returned her own genuine smile. _She remembered when the small boy had_ little _to _no_ manners at all...

_"You're welcome... I'm glad to help." She slowly, as her voice was slightly scented by some repressed joy... _Even though _Rigby_ was _immature at times, it was still nice to see lost friends again..._

The boy continued his smile, _before he turned around; and headed towards the door... Upon arrival,_ he opened the door, walked through the passage; and closed the door behind him_. Margaret had kept up her smile up without realization; _she was happy to know that _Rigby would at least be safe and secure for that night..._

_Suddenly, her phone rang; pulling her from her stupor and causing her smile to drop back into a frown. She pulled the phone from her pocket, and flipped it open as she brought the screen to her face... It was her dad... _She pressed the green _'accept' _button, before she placed the phone to her ear...

_"Hey dad, what's up?" She talked into the phone happily as she greeted her father, however; mere seconds after greeting her father, her eyes went wide..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey all! Thanks for reading. :) I hope you enjoyed! This has been my longest chapter to date; so I hope it doesn't disappoint! :) Thanks again for the continued reviews and support! ^_^**_


	9. Vigilance

_**Cessation: Chapter Nine**_

_**Vigilance**_

* * *

_Margaret heard the words of her father ring through her ears, as her wide panic and distressed eyes were unfocused; in disbelief..._

_'M-Margaret... T-They f-found t-two new tumors with your mother... A-And... They a-p-p-ppear p-pretty...S-S-Severe... T-T-T-T-They d-don't know i-i-if s-s-she h-h-has much t-time left, o-or i-if they c-can d-do a-anything a-a-about i-it.'_

Her father, _one of the strongest men she knew... Sobbing to her over the phone... It was such a horrible thing to hear; your parents cry, and little to no words could describe how empty, and how much heartache you felt._

_Margaret now sat behind the counter on the desk chair, as she stared vacantly at the floor... There was so many emotions running through her; she was unable to play any of them..._

_She was tempted to cry, scream, run, vomit, and inflict physical pain to herself..._

_It was such a scare the first time her mother had her life threatened; the family was always tense; at unease, people were constantly sobbing in fear, herself included. It made her family enter chaos as all of their emotions were provoked by fear and terror..._

_And... _After it _was over..._..._ It comes back...Just like that...Why?_

_Margaret screamed as she stood up; ripped the computer monitor from the desk; and slammed it on the floor...It crashed into pieces, glass shattering as electricity sparked from it, before it began smoking; and shorted out entirely..._

_She then, began to sob violently; before she collapsed to her knees as her face fell into her hands; her eyes clinched as tight as they possibly could be... Her knees and lower legs were sliced and cut from the glass before, blood came from her fresh open wounds, as her sobs only became more violent..._

She let one of her hands fall_, as it gripped whatever it could find with all of the strength she had... Unfortunately for her, it was another piece of glass... She gripped it tightly as she felt it cut and dig deeper into the girls hand as she continued to stern grip as it only continued to get tighter... _

_Blood poured from the girl's hand, yet; the only pain she felt was emotional, rather than physical... It felt as if her insides burned with acid as her stomach became hollow; her throat tightened as if somebody was choking her, and her body contorted violently as if she was having a allergic reaction..._

_She was at a loss for words; she felt as if she could have a heart attack at near any second, as she realized her panic nearly doubled every second..._

_"W-W-Why...w-w-why...Please, let me have it! J-J-Just n-not her...N-Not again." She choked out in between sobs, as her despair only grew with each passing second; that seemed to only pass slower than the first..._

_She slowly began to hyperventilate without realizing it, as she choked for airs; as her eyeliner stained her cheeks, her eyes puffy; and her eyes blood shot as the tears continued to pour..._

_She bit her tongue as she tried to reduce her sobbing to be able to breath, she was so desperate to breath. that she bit her tongue to the point it pierced, and slowly began to bleed..._

_She let go of the glass and dropped it on the floor, as the deeper it got; it slowly, extremely slowly, began to make it's painful presence known with Margaret; making the girl wince..._

_She removed her palm from her face as she looked down towards her other hand, and saw the fresh gaping wound that had been placed in her palm; as it bled rapidly..._

_Margaret through her sobs slowly began to feel the effects of the blood loss, as dizziness began to engulf her..._

She sat for a moment for a moment _as her eyes were clinched_, _as her sobs somewhat died down. She opened her eyes as she winced as the light from the motel lamp shined brightly in her eyes, she blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted once more to the world around her..._

_As her eyes adjusted once more, she looked down towards the floor; and saw a blood pool that continued to grow on the floor... She saw the destruction that she had caused after throwing the monitor; but that was the last of her worries..._

_She; still sobbing, attempted to stand up; as she took one foot and placed it on the floor, she used her hands to grasp on the desk for leverage..._

_As she did, she stumbled a bit falling back to her knees; after she did, she attempted once more, and wobbly stood up entirely... She kept her body weight focused on the desk, _as she wasn't sure how much blood she lost nor how much strength she had_; but from what she felt, it was limited... She nearly fell over once more as she nearly slipped on some of her fallen blood, but she luckily was able to recover as she pushed herself off of the desk, and stood up entirely on her own..._

_She shakily took her phone from her pocket with the hand that wasn't bloodied; as she clicked it and held it to her face. The clock on the phone read 4:03 P.M... Her eyes went wide, as he realized she was late..._

She questioned rather if _she should go in the current condition she was in, as her sobs continued violently. _Yet; _she realized she most likely had just lost one of her jobs, which made her realized; she needed to go... _And to be honest_, she didn't care about the appearance that she was currently in..._

_She shakily made her way around the desk, as she made her way for the door. _Her eyes focused on her _wobbling legs, _as she was careful to not fall down_, and make her trip that much more difficult... She bit her lip as then journey became more challenging with each hesitant step..._

_Suddenly, she heard a familiar bell ringing as a door opened and closed; she continued to look down, as she saw a small pair of slim legs covered with brown jeans, and black and white canvas shoes; slowly walk towards her... Her sobs died down upon seeing the boy._

_"M-Margaret..." A small voice said in shock; she knew who it was, yet inwardly she didn't want to admit his presence was true... _

_His eyes were wide as he saw the blood, wounds, her mangled hair, and the black eyeliner that was traced by tears down her cheeks... He at first thought somebody had attacked her... The boy was hesitant to touch her; as he wanted to help her, but had no idea what was even happening... The boy spoke up hesitantly as the scene before him still fully sunk in._

_"M-Margaret, w-what happened?! D-Do you need my help?"Rigby said in worry as he ran to her side, his eyes were wide in confusion... Upon arrival at her side, he tried to bend over to make eye contact with the girl who was still slouched over and looking downwards..._

_She avoided his gaze, as she slowly continued to walk towards the door and away from Rigby. Rigby in turn quickly returned to her side as he held his arm out under her, he wanted her to learn on it for support..._

_"P-Please... Let me help you." Rigby said cautiously, as his arm was still held out... _

_Suddenly, Margaret aggressively pushed his arm away; as she stood more upright and looked towards the boy. _

_Her normal red iris' were now visibly seeing red; as rage filled her eyes as she looked towards the boy, while her clenched teeth was showing the whole time; as Rigby got a view at the streams of tears going down her cheeks... And what seemed like blood coming from her mouth..._

_Rigby went wide eyed, as he heard a low growl emanating from the girl..._

_"_Get _away from me! Now!" Margaret hissed towards the boy, as her rage was apparent... Rigby flinched at the sudden outburst; but he wasn't going to back down so easily... There was something horribly wrong, and whatever she was aiming to achieve; was going to be disastrous._

_Margaret continued to walk; now more up right than before, she walked extremely slowly; as Rigby saw blood dripping from the girl's hand on to the floor; and as he looked back... he saw a trail of it, beginning at the desk..._

_Rigby kept walking by her with his arm held out, in case she changed her mind... He then looked towards the girl and noticed where she was heading; he looked outside as saw that the storm from earlier; had only worsened as it seemed that the rain had come down at even a more rapid pace; hail fell from the sky; and it was nearly thundering constantly... And on occasion, the whole room would light up from a close lightning strike..._

The storm outside was _intimidating _to say the least, _and Rigby would prefer not to have Margaret in the condition she was in, doing god knows what._

_Suddenly, _after a brief period of them walking; _and as Rigby continuously held out his arm for the girl just in case; he realized that they were getting close to the door..._

_He bit his lip, as they were mere steps away from the door... They continued to walk slowly as Rigby had to think of something, and quick..._

_As they arrived at the door, Margaret _grabbed the door knob; _twisted it; and the door virtually flew open by itself due to the wind and intense weather conditions outside..._

_This is when Rigby left Margaret's side, and ran to the door passage; and faced the girl while occupying it... He was determined to not let the girl get by him..._

_"Rigby! MOVE!" She yelled towards the boy with angered narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, as her rage; if manifested, could make the world crack..._

_"No Margaret, I'm not letting you get by! You're in no condition going out there like that!" Rigby shot back quickly, as he narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth; he held his arms out and grabbed the walls that met the door, determined that not even a crack of light would get by..._

_Margaret growled towards the boy; as she looked around her briefly, hoping for something she could use... Yet found nothing..._

_Her frustration mounted; as she was tempted to just hit Rigby, _but; _she couldn't find it in her to do so..._

_The two sat their in a aggressive stare-off for what seemed like hours; when actually, it maybe was merely a minute... Rigby's back was getting soaked, as the wind blew his hair and clothes forward. Hail was rampantly colliding with his back; but he practically didn't feel it, due to the impending situation._

_Suddenly the power began to surge as the lights dimmed and brightened multiple times; Rigby _looked around _confused, with wide eyes, _as he _blinked _a few times_; when suddenly..._

_*CRASH*_

_Rigby jumped, stumbled, and fell, as the room went dark. Something large had hit him from behind; that he had no clue of what it was, and there was a massive, spine chilling explosion due to a incredibly close lightning strike... _

_Rigby quickly got up to his feet, _as he placed his arms at the walls meeting the door once more; _yet... Something seemed different._

_Suddenly, _the lights began to flicker on once more as their current dimmed presence _slowly lit up..._

_And as they did... Rigby went wide-eyed, as he looked in front of him; and only saw a bloodied floor, yet no red haired girl..._

_Suddenly, he heard as an engine started, and quickly turned around, ran outside, and looked to his right; towards the culprit..._

_He saw two bright car lights cutting through the rainfall; as his fears became true, as through the harsh weather conditions; he saw a familiar red car with it's engine roaring._

_He ran to the car while waving his hands, trying to get her to stop; but it was futile. As immediately as she did so, all that could be heard was tires squealing as the volume of the engine massively ramped up. _

_The car accelerated with it's engine growling, did a aggressive and fast paced 'U' turn to get out of the parking lot, the car nearly drifting as it did so; do to not only the speed, but the immense raid covering the roads as well..._

_Rigby watched as the car drove recklessly out of the parking lot entirely, as other cars had to make an abrupt halt with their screaming tires and honked their horns rapidly as they did so, due to the near impending accident._

_Rigby watched as the car drove it's way down the road entirely, rapidly increasing speed as it did so. The car ran red lights without care; as it made other cars screech to a halt and spin out, horns blaring all the while..._

_Rigby's stomach sank at this sight, as hail and rain collided with the boy at a rapid pace... He immediately began to chase after the car in faint hopes that he could catch up..._

_Margaret wasn't sure when, but subconsciously; the girl began her violent sobs once more... As she clinched her eyes and opened them once more, as her horrid thoughts and emotions continued to run rampant on her... She was soaken wet; from rain, blood, and tears... Her hair dripped, the water droplets collided with her thigh._

_Suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore; as she tried any type of distraction possible, and turned up the radio to maximum volume..._

_She now remembered she bad bit her tongue, as she now began to taste the bitterness of blood in her mouth; she wasn't sure if she just had not realized it before..._

_Suddenly, a song started; as it started out with a bass guitar, a ride cymbal; and a mere two measures later, a drum fill._

_'Hey Miss Murder, can I?'_

_'Hey Miss Murder, can I?'_

_'Make beauty stay if I,'_

_'Take my life?...'_

_"Ho-oh-oh..."_

_She slowly continued her sobbing as the rain and tears obscured her visions; she to be honest, wasn't even sure if she was on a road, but just drove on instict and muscle memory. She bit her lip as she felt her hyper-ventilating once more, as it felt like her heart could pop at any second..._

_'With just a look, they shook.'_

_'As heavens bowed before him.'_

_'Simply a look, can break your heart...'_

_Margaret clinched her eyes as at some moments, it felt like she was going to die herself; as the pressure in her chest would continue to contort; and her throat swelled and felt as if she were being choked..._

_'The stars that pierce the sky;_

_'He left them all behind.'_

_'We're left to wonder why;'_

_'He left us all behind...'_

_She rubbed her eyes, as she tried to somewhat clear her vision; though her tears ran rampant. She then shakily took her hand that she had rubbed her tears with, and moved it towards a lever on a car; as she pushed the lever in a certain direction, suddenly; her windshield wipers rapidly began to work at a briskly pace; as it cleaned the rain off her windshields that had made it previously impossible to see..._

_'Dreams of his crash; won't pass'_

_'Oh, how they all adored him.'_

_'Beauty will last, when spiraled; down...'_

_She noticed that she had been driving on the wrong side of the road for; god knows how long... Luckily the roads that she was driving on seemed relatively clear, with little to no cars participating in it; besides her own... She bit her lip as she pulled back into the correct lane; as she scanned the road, and recognized she was not far off from her destination of the coffee shop..._

_'The stars that mystify...'_

_'He left them all behind,' _

_'And how his children cried;'_

_'He left us all, behind...'_

_Margaret bit her lip as tears continued to roam down her cheeks, as her sobs still resonated through the car. She realized after a few blinks she was on the road in which where the coffee shop was located, as she slowed down upon making it to the parking lot entrance..._

_'What's the hook - the twist,'_

_'Within this verbose mystery?'_

_'I would gladly bet my life upon it.'_

_'That the ghost you love, your ray of light.'_

_'Will fizzle out with hope.'_

_Margaret made a sharp left, as she turned into the parking lot entrance. She honestly hadn't checked to see if there was traffic when she made the turn; but assumed their wasn't as she couldn't hear any tires screeching or horns blaring like before..._

_'We're the empty set just floating through, wrapped in skin.'_

_'Ever searching for what we were promised.'_

_'Reaching for that golden ring we'd never let go,'_

_'But who would ever let us put our filthy hands upon it?'_

_As Margaret pulled in, she found a parking space shortly after. She let out a few small sobs as she tried to regain her composure as she pulled in to the parking space; and parked her car upon halting in it. She bit her lip as luckily, she saw only one other car in the parking lot. She shakily looked downwards with her hands gripping to her lap and tried to slow her breathing, to regain her composure before she walked into her work... It was proving extremely challenging..._

_'Hey Miss Murder can I...'_

_'Hey Miss Murder can I...'_

_'Make beauty stay if I,'_

_'Take my life...'_

_Oh...oh-oh..._

_Margaret slowly began to choke her sobs when it was proving near impossible, as she made one shaky hand from her lap to the key; turned it, and tugged it out of the ignition; turning the car off entirely..._

_She then opened her door, as she slowly and shakily, stepped out of her car; got to her feet, and closed the door behind her... She stood there for a moment, as she watched to rain drops collide with the concrete below; she heard multiple small dripping noises as the rain continued to fall... She then heard as thunder, echoed through the sky; provoking intimidation into civilians who were outside needlessly._

_After a few seconds of her doing so, she looked up towards the sky; as she saw the rain pour, the rain colliding, splashing with her face. Lightning soared through the sky and the clouds; the light was being shaded by the clouds; giving the sky an iris tint... _She wondered a moment_, if this was truly reality... Or some cruel nightmare, that would haunt her for the rest of her life..._

_She bit her lip as she let her head drop, _and _shakily;_ locked her car with her key. She then stood as upright as she possibly could, and _insecurely;_ _made her way towards the front door..._

As she did, she eventually arrived at, _said door. _After arrival, _sh_e_ weakly _opened the door and walked in; _only causing a small tingling of a bell noise... _

_After she entered, _she gently _let go of the door, _letting it go _slowly _and _silently _falling closed by itself; _the bells gently rang their hollow tune once more..._

_She looked up and saw a particular customer she wasn't fond of; that had been here yesterday... She felt her knees buckle as she felt his eyes on her..._

_She, _however; _ignored it to the best of her abilities, as she walked towards and behind the counter..._

_The man was annoyed by him ignoring her presence, "Hey! Coffee bitch!" The man said rudely, it was as if he had never been taught respect nor manners... Unfortunately, something common within today's world._

_Margaret ignored him, as he felt her nails digging into her palms as she walked behind the counter; and walked back towards the main office._

Upon arrival, she _wearily_ removed her wallet from her pocket, as she removed her work card from her wallet, and _falteringly clocked in... She then put her card back in her wallet; as she hesitantly put her wallet back in her pocket._

_She covered her mouth with her hand afterwards, as she muffled a few final sobs and choked them until they were gone entirely; she bit sliced open tongue sending pain to chill down her spine, as she tried to regain her wavering composure..._

_As she did, she shakily walked out of the back office; back to behind the counter, and then she quiveringly made her way past the small lift up barrier with a weak flick of her wrist, as she stepped out back in front of the counter._

_She felt her knees began to buckle, as she unstably made her way towards the only customer in the store... She bit her lip, as she felt as if at any second; she was going to collapse. Her voice quivered painfully .as she spoke up..._

_"M-M-M-May I-I t-take yo-your o-order..." She managed to choke out as she continued to shakily walked towards her only customer; she had her pen and small order booklet, in hand. Her chest screamed in her the let her emotions out; but she barely muffled them, as it felt as if fire was burning within her chest..._

_"Don't ignore me again! I swear if you do; I will..." The slightly obese customer began angrily and insultingly. He paused his voice; his eyes went wide, as he soaked in the appearance of the girl, waveringly walking towards him. Her hair covering her face, as he was unable to see the girl's eyes..._

_"...Woah, what the hell is wrong with you...?" The customer was caught off guard with the appearance of the girl, as there was dried blood all over her; her hair was scattered, mangled, and covering her eyes. There were multiple cuts upon the girl, as he saw wounds on the girl's legs; and an extremely large one on her palm that almost seemed as if it still were bleeding, as her hand was covered in blood... _

_He then; saw as her make up trailed down her cheeks, as small trails of blood stained her chin that began at her mouth... Her clothes were stained with blood, as she hadn't even bothered to put on her coffee shop, work outfit... The man narrowed his eyes in irritation and anger._

_"_So, I buy your coffee _almost everyday; and this is what I get?! A coffee girl, who looks like she came straight out of a meth lab?!" The man insulted, as he up towards the girl; with a false sense of superiority._

_Margaret began to click her pen angrily as she began to visibly shake in rage as her hair covered her eyes while she looked downward; she bit her tongue, causing it to bleed once more; as she fought back her rampant emotions that screamed for daylight..._

_"Jesus christ... Do the world a favor, and go clean yourself up okay? I'll get my damn coffee somewhere else; it's what I get for coming to a coffee shop that has such a ditz for a waitress..." The man insulted once more; as if it was a burden on him to come here as she entered his presence; however, while saying this, the man continued to sit down..._

_Margaret began to shake more violently as she rotated her feet inwards. A fresh stream of blood trailed from her mouth, as she clicked her pan rapidly; she was puncturing the booklet's papers with her finger nails in immense pressure and held back fury... Her hair covered her eyes as she continued to look down. _

_What she didn't hear was the sound of those familiar bells, chime their tune once more..._

_"No, no, no, actually; you know what? Go get me my damn coffee, you deserve nothing more than to wait on others; with the hideous manner of your appearance." The man said once more; as not only it seemed there was irritation on the man's tone, _but it also seemed that the man was _taunting _the girl_... _

_This action shattered all of Margaret's remaining willpower; as the book fell from her hands, colliding with the floor; as it danced on its edges before falling flat. Margaret's pen clicking subsided, as her nails dug into her hands. Her eyes still focused on the floor below, as she small tiny droplets of her blood, splashed on the floor below her, originating from her chin._

_"Oh, what? Are you mad now? _Did _I come off rude? Pffffft, right; give me a break... You deserve my tone for who you represent yourself at your job." The man insulted once more; it legitimately seemed this man was from another planet as he had little to no morals in him; and kept attacking the girl verbally..._

_Margaret's shaking suddenly stopped, as she stood idle and entirely still, her hair still covering her eyes as she continued her gaze on the floor... The only thing heard her small blood droplets, colliding with the floor below; beginning to create a blood pattern on the floor..._

_"Now, _do me a favor; and get my coffee, and stop _being a_ _bitch." The man insulted once more, as a small smirk crossed his face; as he was enjoying himself..._

_Suddenly, this threw Margaret over the edge; her head rapidly raised, as her furious crimson wide-eyed gaze now focused on the man in front of her, her eyes were ridden with fury and outrage as she gritted her teeth and opened her mouth; showing the red tint of carmine blood on her near perfect, white teeth..._

_In mere seconds, she closed the distance between her and the man; as she grabbed his shirt, and clicked her pen, so the point would be out. She then lunged at the men with her pen, a fury ridden yell escaped her swollen throat as she did so. Her pen was going directly for the man's throat, as she moved her arm at a blistering pace; to complete the action. The man looked wide-eyed at the girl in fear, as he attempted to retreat on the chair._

_"Margaret! No!" A familiar young voice called out, as she closed her eyes as she awaiting to feel the pen stab into the man's flesh._

_Suddenly, the pen stopped as it impaled something; however, she heard a pain filled yelp of a young man; _as the thing she had impaled into, _began shaking; rapidly._

_It didn't feel like a neck, nor collar-bone, nor anything that she was aiming for... Her lips trembled; as she shakily, and hesitantly opened her eyes... She saw something much to her horror as she went wide-eyed..._

_A small petite arm, engulfed by a brown sleeve from a hoody; that was shaking in pain, had been the thing she impaled... It had stabbed the arm in the wrist, causing the arm's fingers and hand to twitch violently._

_She looked shakily in horror to her left; as she saw a familiar petite brown haired boy; wincing in pain... Her hand was still on the pen; while in the process of trembling, she then felt a warm liquid engulf the bottom of her hand, as red began to emerge from the bottom of the pen..._

_Tears immediately began to pour from her eyes; as sobs emerged from her throat as she choked a bit on her despair. She trembled violently; as she quickly let go of the pen..._

_The boy had to admit that, the pain was truly unbearable; but he ignored it, as another issue had plagued his mind..._

_The girl sobbed violently, "R-R-R-R-Rigby...I-I-I...I-I'm...I..." She began, but couldn't find the words as they caught in her throat..._

_"I-I-It's okay...D-Don't worry, I'm fine..." The boy managed to muster up the strength through his pain ,to speak towards the girl whose emotions were in absolute chaos...He gave her a small comforting smile, he placed his not impaled hand on her shoulder; as he would occasionally wince in pain through both of these actions, as his wound was still fresh..._

_"R-R-R-Rigby..." She said the boy's name once more; shakily... _

_Suddenly, surprising Rigby; the girl faced the boy entirely, and pulled the boy into an embrace; and while doing so, hugged him as tightly as she could... As she did, she continued to sob violently... Though the boy was in immense pain, his brows raised he went wide-eyed; and he couldn't help but feel his face heat up rapidly, as crimson red engulfed the boy's cheeks..._

_"I-I-I'm s-so s-s-s-sorry..." She sobbed out quietly, as her voice wavered as she did so. Rigby's face still was on fire, as he felt somewhat guilty he wasn't the taller of the two; as her arms strangled his in a way that was somewhat painful due to his wound, but ignored it. He figured he was unable to return the hug well, due to his petite stature... He felt her, though matted with tears and blood; soft hair brush up against his face as his mouth was covered by her collar-bone due to his shorter stature..._

_However, he managed to somewhat free an arm; as he used his arm to nervously but gently pat the girl's back..._

_"R-Rigby...m-m-my m-mother...S-She...She's g-going t-t-to die...S-She d-doesn't have m-much t-time..." Margaret choked out in between sobs..._

_Rigby's eyes went wide, as his stomach sank, and he nearly bit his tongue on accident at his shock... Was god, really; so cruel? To do such things, to un-deserving people... Sure, everyone had to die, eventually; but not at a time like this..._

_He felt despair and sorrow as he felt so powerless, and inadequate; knowing that he couldn't do anything to help the girl... In the sense that; he couldn't save her mother... It truly made you feel so unnecessary in a world, so big; so intimidating; and so harmful, ready to crush the soul's and willpower of those who have come unprepared..._

_Rigby wasn't sure how to reply to that initially, he; however, narrowed his eyes in anger, as he still saw the waste of life, customer sitting in his position; still fearful and shocked, with wide eyes in horror... Rigby wasn't sure what came over him, but he gently parted his head somewhat from the position, as he narrowed his eyes in rage and fury; much like Margaret's eyes, mere moments ago._

_Usually, Rigby wasn't the type to be intimidating; nor inflict fear in people, nor was he really the type of person to scare people; as his stature limited his capabilities of his ability to be intimidating. However, in mere seconds; he changed that..._

_"G-G-Get the FUCK OUT! NOW!"Rigby yelled in rage, as his fury blinded him. His mouth was open as his outraged teeth clenched; he wanted desperately to attack the man; but he also did not in the least want to break the embrace..._

_The man saw the infuriated Rigby, and; actually had become the first person, to actually be intimidated by the boy..._

_The man scurried, as he turned his body around and he attempted to get up from the bench. However, as he did so, he tripped on the same said bench as he did so; his face slammed directly on the hard floor below; causing a few tooth of his to break loose in his mouth..._

_He gasped in pain as he accidentally swallowed the fallen teeth; causing him to nearly choke. He pushed himself up, as he then got up to his feet as he removed his leg that had been previously tangled in the bench..._

_Rigby turned his head as he watched as the man ran as quick as he could towards the door with his hand covering his newly bloodied mouth; he nearly tripped a few more times, as he made his way to the door..._

_As he got to the door, he quickly opened it as the bells rung violently; he ran out, and never wanted to look back..._

_Rigby turned his head back; and returned his gaze forward, as he was focused once more on the sobbing, and sorrow filled girl that was holding him tightly, as the sound of the bells chiming died down..._

_He frowned, he bit his lip as his eyes looked downwards; he tried to think of something to say to Margaret, yet; nothing seemed like it would be sufficient; nor good enough... He finally spoke up, as he couldn't think of anything that seemed like it would be worthy of the current situation; and that made the boy feel saddened that he wasn't a better friend..._

_"Margaret... I'm so; so, sorry... I-...I, wish that I could take it from her..." Rigby said sadly, as his woe filled deepened with sorrow..._

_The only thing...that could be heard... Was the sobbing of a certain crimson eyed girl; echoing throughout the coffee shop, as thunder made the world echo in grief and heartache..._

_'Maybe... This is why Mordecai left... Maybe I truly am...an appaling friend..." He thought to himself; as his chest contorted with despair, the physical pain he had felt previously, had been completely overwhelmed with the burden of grief; that Rigby had felt inside his chest..._

_'May my life end swiftly; as I am only haunting those with it...' Rigby thought as his eyes narrowed in woe; his tormenting affliction, anguish, and agony... began to swallow him whole..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey all! :) I hope you enjoyed! Soooo, this chapter randomly became really bloody. I'm not entirely sure why. But it's my longest chapter to date at 5,925 words :) So I hope you all enjoy! :D Thanks again for all of the kind words and reviews! :) I appreciate them! :D Thanks again! :D I hope yoou all enjoy! :) **_

_**Also, the song in this that play's on the radio, is called Miss Murder by AFI. And yes, as you guessed; I totally own the rights to it. AFI called me up and they were like, "DUDE WE'RE TOTALLY GIVE YOU THE RIGHTS TO ALL OF OUR MUZIC!" and I'm like "DUDE! AWESOME !I'M ASEWERJWERJWERWETOGBUWEIUBTUIBWER!" Nah I am just kiddng, I own 0% rights to the song nor the show.**_

_**Rights are respectfully.**_

_**Miss Murder: AFI**_

_**Regular Show: J.G Quintel**_

_**Thanks again for reading**__**^_^**_


	10. Fragment

_**Cessation: Chapter Ten**_

_**Fragment**_

* * *

Rigby _bit his lip with a sorrowful frown, _as he sat across from Margaret in the coffee shop; they shared the _same _table that the man who had fled in fear not long ago; had been previously sitting at...

Rigby had sat with Margaret now, _for what had seemed like hours; as her sobs never died down; echoing throughout the coffee shop, as each whimper was audible within her sobs; causing Rigby to wince... Her face was buried in her palms, as he elbows rested on the table; shaking violently with each sob..._

There were times where it seemed_ the girl was going to pass out from exhaustion; however, she kept herself stable; as she continued to sob deeper..._

_"Margaret... I-I don't want to sound like a broken record or anything; but w-we may want to go to the hospital and get our wounds treated, those cuts you have look pretty deep..." Rigby said hesitantly, more concerned over the girl than his own wound. He continued to bite his lip nervously, as he frowned; his eyes filled with worry over the girl who; mere hours ago... seemed fine..._

_The only problem she had was with Rigby's housing situation, _which to be honest; _was not, that big of a deal to Rigby, as he knew he'd make due eventually..._

Suddenly,_ after a few more sobs; _Margaret looked up and raised her face from her palms; _with a horror filled, fear in her eyes... It made Rigby feel remorse for what he had said; yet he wasn't sure of which part of what he had said that had intimidated the girl..._

She_ choked her sobs for mere seconds as she frowned; "P-P-Please, I-I-I-I r-r-really d-don't w-want to g-go t-to t-the h-h-hopsital..." She said in a whimper; Rigby had winced at her tone, and the agony that still haunted her voice... She looked towards Rigby with hurt eyes; that were already filled with tears as make up still trailed down her eyes, that made Rigby feel that much more remorseful..._

Rigby realized, _that he; now had, a much more dire issue on his hands than being homeless... He had come to the conclusion; that Mordecai had indeed been the superior friend, and that Margaret would most likely prefer Mordecai to be here; much more than she did him... As it seemed that; he knew just what to say, and when... It was part of the reason that Rigby had felt depressed when he had left; is Rigby had shown previous signs of depression, but after a quick talk with Mordecai; he would always feel better._

He felt guilty, _when that same boy; with this same girl, _would come home _and sob in his room over his heartache; and that the girl that he was in love with; was either in a relationship with another boy at the time, or just leaving entirely..._

_Rigby bit his lip, as his mouth timidly opened once more, through troubled eyes; _he was _hesitant _to speak up again; _yet he felt like it was necessary, _they really _did after all, need medical treatment..._

_"B-But Margaret...-" He began nervously as his eyes nervously set on the girl, but was immediately cut off..._

_"P-P-Please Rigby! I just...I-I j-just want t-to go h-home..." She said as panic and fear had overwhelmed her voice; her eyes shakily wincing in terror as she looked at Rigby in fright..._

_Rigby sighed as he looked down with defeat in his eyes, he realized he wasn't going to win this battle..._

_For a unique reason; _this had reminded him of all the times at how what he had said, would never get through to _Mordecai_..._ As if his words wer...false, empty, and untruthful..._

_But they weren't, they never were... Though Rigby was irresponsible; it didn't mean he hadn't understood emotional struggles; throughout childhood, he remembered how dejected he had felt; as through school, he had merely one friend..._

_Mordecai..._

Whenever _Rigby _had attempted to make _fresh_ and _new__ friends in his schooling years; _ he had always been replied with_ scoffs, snickers, and the constant ridicule..._

He remembered how much _envy he had felt towards Mordecai; _as _Mordecai _was nearly friends with _everyone in the school, and without hesitation; could make a new friend with a flick of a wrist... Which made Rigby feel..._

_Expendable..._

_In every occasion; _at _Rigby's birthday party's through his upbringing_, he remembered that _Mordecai had brought his friends; rather than Rigby having his own... _And how, when they were there; _they barely even knew Don, yet they had all agreed in unison that he was indeed the superior, of the two brothers... _

Which_ had grew to the unjust vendetta that Rigby had possessed against Don; eventually, _he dropped it of course;_ but to this day he still feels guilty for even having it in the first place... _As it wasn't _Don's _fault, _nor choice that he had so easily become the favorite of the two..._

To be honest_... This had eaten away at Rigby more aggressively than anyone had known; as he remembered all the times that he was standing in front of his bathroom mirror; _the door locked_, as a large knife would be placed in his hand..._

_The voices and ridicule screamed at him to do it; yet, as close as he pressed the blade against his neck, and prepared himself to making a slicing motion; he was unable to do it... As his fear of pain, and the mystery that the afterlife had brought; beat out his wish for his life to prematurely end..._

He remembered_ how many empty goodbye letters he had wrote to the world; telling his parents he was sorry, his brother he was sorry, his friends he was sorry; and even sometimes, his own possible potential he was sorry... As too many wrong turns and decisions in his life; had entirely crushed it to small shards of false hope and pleads for a better life..._

_Even now; in this situation, he knew that Margaret was most likely wishing for Mordecai rather than himself... And truthfully, he couldn't blame her... He knew he wasn't great, nor reliable, nor even trustworthy. He was a soul that been cracked by the cruelty of life; rather than overcoming his hardships; let them run rampant over him, slowly letting them destroy him; before finally breaking him entirely..._

_Eileen probably been the only person he had known; his whole life, that actually enjoyed his presence; and would maybe; pick him over another candidate...And in mere weeks, he had screwed all of that up; some light in his dark life... But in all truthfulness..._

Was that _just a crush? Or did she truly care about him? _As in, just a crush that she was attracted to the_ boy's appearance, rather than who he was... _He didn't think of it in a way to _slam Eileen or bad mouth her; but he knew that the desire for love can make mistakes, overlook extremely hazardous factors; and, can just be entirely wrong..._

Rigby sighed in distress, as his eyes_ showed their previous cracks of his past haunting him once more..._

_"Alright..." He said quietly and in distress, with a frown._ He, _then,__ looked downwards with worried eyes; _ as he wasn't sure if this was the _wisest decision, and he was also not sure of how long he had been entangled in his corrupting thoughts of his broken past. How exactly long had he been silent for?..._

_He looked up though; as it seemed, upon Margaret hearing his reply; was reassured and seemed slightly more calmed... _As her eyes_; yet with still woe, fear, and panic... Seemed as if they had lost some of their nerve ridden anxiety... As her body's retreating poise, seemed to calm as she slouched forward in on the bench with her palms covering her face once more._

_Rigby bit his lip as he continued to watch the girl suffer... And there was something he needed to voice; _yet,_ really wished not to, as he didn't want to disturb the girl... He bit his lip before spoke his worries to the girl..._

_"M-Margaret," he began nervously, he saw the girl eyeing him through her fingers as he said this; tears coating her blood-shot eyes... This caused the boy to wince, as he truly felt inadequate, to be unable to make changes in the world; _even to those diseases still deemed incurable, he desperately wanted to do something_...anything... He bit continued to bite his lip, before he spoke once more..._

_"I t-think m-maybe you should g-go home for the day... It's still hazardous outside; and it's d-dark already; and will only get darker..." He said nervously, as he didn't want to pressure the girl; but just look out for her, and avoid any incoming possible threats..._

_He continued, as he saw her watching him; her cries still echoed through the shop..._

_"D-Do you have a friend that could maybe...P-Pick you up?" He asked timidly, his lip biting had never subsided; as he awaited the girl's response..._

_She raised her face from her palms, as her gaze was still downwards; hair covering her eyes... She muffled a few sobs, as her eyes focused on the table; as she let her hands drop down on the table below... She then looked up to the boy..._

_"N-N-No, m-most o-of them h-have l-left h-here, a-and m-moved somewhere else..." She spoke in despair; as her voice cracked in anguish; she held back more of her cries, which caused her insides to feel as if they were slowly melting away..._

_Rigby frowned, as he looked at the girl through grief filled eyes; before looking downwards..._

_"C-Could...you?" She spoke up shakily, as the boy looked up from the table towards her; his eyes slightly wide with a small amount of confusion..._

_"Could I-I...?" He was confused at her statement as he looked towards the girl; eyes slightly widened in curiosity._

_"Yes; c-could you drive me home? W-We can u-use my car..." She said timidly,_ as she_ looked to the boy, with hopeful eyes; awaiting his response..._

_He looked at her for a moment; as his eyes were still wide, surprised that she would ask him to do something of that caliber... After a brief moment; he suddenly gave her a reassuring smile, as his wide eyes calmed themselves..._

_"Sure, I'd be glad to..." He said happily, as he looked towards the girl; a smile still apparent on his face..._

A small wave of _relief hit Margaret, as she let her gaze drop to the table again; frown still apparent, accompanied by her grief struck eyes; trembling slightly,_ as her shock was _still_ _evident from the announcement earlier today..._

_Suddenly, Rigby realized something as he frowned; he bit his lip, looking downwards; he then looked back up before he asked Margaret what had come to his mind..._

_"M-Margaret, i-is there a bus station by your place?... I-I w-was just wondering; so I could head back to the motel after I got you home..." Rigby spoke nervously, as he looked towards the girl with timid eyes; awaiting her reaction..._

She shook her head, _as her gaze still on the table below; she then looked up at the boy, as her body shook; however, much less violent than she had previously..._

_"T-That's..." She began timidly, "that's n-not necessary... Y-You c-can s-sleep a-at m-my p-place for the night..." She spoke hesitantly; she looked towards the boy as she saw his eyes start to slowly go wide... She shakily bit her lip, before she voice her thoughts..._

Rigby _timidly _opened his mouth to _interject, "N-No," he waved his hands nervously, " I really don't want to be a burden... I-I can walk too, I don't mind." He spoke nervously as he sat one of his hand down; still holding his currently impaled one slightly above the table surface, he gave her a reassuring smile..._

_She replied calmly, looking down towards the surface of the table; as her tone of voice was filled with woe, yet she tried to hide it, it was still very much so apparent..._

_"N-No, p-please... I-I'd l-like you to stay; i-it'll b-be n-nice t-t-o know I-I h-have a friend w-with me, s-so...W-Would y-you, p-p-please...?" She said timidly and woefully; _as she looked up_ with a worrying expression, that the boy would dreadfully say no..._

_Rigby looked at he with wide eyes in surprise; a slight redness stained his cheeks, as he looked at her for a moment; before swallowing nervously..._

_"O-Oh; I-I, I w-wasn't s-sure, I-I'm s-sorry..." _He said_ slightly embarrassed, as he scratched the back of his head; looking towards the table..._

_The two sat their in silence; _as_ Margaret, _in _despair,__ choked most of her sobs...Rigby__ was slightly flustered and shocked, by the girl being so trusting of him... _As nobody else_, ever had been before, nor would even think to be; towards somebody like Rigby..._it had caught the boy_ off-guard..._

_After a brief moment, Rigby decided to speak up, trying to get his mind off getting flustered; as he was still new to situations that were of that caliber..._

He began to sat up _as he spoke, "W-Well, I-I g-guess w-we may-" He; however, was cut off immediately..._

_"Y-You know, i-it's funny..." Rigby halted immediately as she began to speak quietly, as her hair was still covered by her eyes; her gaze downwards to the table, as her hands were rested on the very same table; slightly shaking..._

Rigby, _after being halted; slowly sat back down, as he looked towards the girl with raised brows and a frown..._

_"W-What i-is funny?" He asked nervously, _as he sat back down entirely_. Looking slightly wide-eyed towards the girl, not only in worry, but also curiosity..._

She _shook _for a moment_; as her eyes still were not visible, her hands beginning to shake violently; and , as pain was still dwelling deep within the girl..._

_"T-This..." She spoke once more silently, _Rigby raised his brows in _confusion; wondering as to what the girl had meant..._

_"This...?" _He_ questioned back nervously with a troubled frown, _his eyes _were_ _fearful; _as he looked towards the girl; _who began to violently shake once more..._

She _hastily __raised her head, looking angrily with narrowed eyes towards the boy; "Y-Yes! T-This! T-This whole god f-forsaken life! I-It's so damn mediocre; a-and worthless..." She seethed,_ as her eyes dropped down towards the table _once more; her eyes once again overwhelmed with rage and fury..._

_Rigby bit his lip; as he waited a few seconds before he replied, "_W-What, _do you..mean?..." _He replied _hesitantly, _as he could see this conversation _was preparing to take a turn in a darker path..._

_Margaret looked up; as her eyes were narrowed towards the boy once more; "Y-You can't tell me you h-haven't noticed," She began as she started to wave her hand around her, "l-look at t-the w-world around us... N-Nothing ever works out, e-everybody you care for leaves and dies; p-people each day are becoming less like humans...and more like...Animals..." _She spoke _irritably, as she bit her lip; her emotions beginning to pour out once more; _as her will to hold them_ back_... _began to fade..._

_Rigby_ sat there,_ with worrying eyes; and a woe filled frown, as he sat in silence... Watching the girl, _and _occasionally__, swallowing nervously from her strident words as he did so..._

_She continued to look down in agony, she bit her tongue harshly, as she spoke quietly once more..._

_"_Y-You work your a-ass off, _for sixty years... H-Have your emotions toyed with along the way; w-watch your family die; and h-have your friends d-desert you... A-And maybe i-in the end, you have t-ten years w-where y-you can relax... B-But by that time, y-your body i-is so weathered; beaten; exhausted, and worn... Y-You can't even e-enjoy the b-brief time y-your given, a-as your b-body is t-too tattered t-to even st-stay c-conscious..." She said darkly, as her nails began to claw into the table surface below... Rigby saw newfound tears, streaming down her face; dropping off, and colliding with the table surface below..._

_"Really..." She began once more, as she looked up towards Rigby; as her eyes were stained with tears and grief, her face contorted into a tortured frown..._

_"P-Please t-tell me, w-what...w-what the hell i-is the p-point of all t-this...? T-the p-point of e-even...ex-existing in t-the f-first p-place..." _Margaret spoke _despairingly, as she looked towards the boy... Hoping for an answer..._

_However; much to her dismay, _Rigby _sat there, with shocked wide-eyes; a despondent frown and he was ... speechless..._

_Speechless, _because truthfully; he _did want to answer an optimistic response, however..._

_These_, _were all things, _he_ himself; had pondered over the years..._

_He, _however tried to make a response; _nevertheless..._

_"I-I-I..." He began nervously, as he looked down to try and attempted to blueprint his thoughts..._Hoping, _his voice; _would _reassure the girl... _He _bit his lip, as he let out a sad sigh; before his eyes became empty, woeful, broken; _and showed, _their true feelings..._

His _sorrowful gaze was still focused on the table surface below; as his lips were still contorted into a painful frown... _He_ began slowly, _as his_ charade _of a calm voice had left;_ and came his true despairing, agonized voice; of heartache and repeated failure... The boy's hair had covered his eyes as he did so..._

_"I think life... It's making the best of a bad situation... There were... multiple times where I questioned the same thing... I would...pray, day and night; hoping for a better day, following the previous one... But..." _He_ trailed off sadly, _as_ he bit his lip..._

_"It...N-Never came... As I continued to pray, _hoping_ if I did it more and more; that maybe one day... Me living, would feel necessary... But it still doesn't... A-And most likely, n-never will..." His voice broke for a moment; as he took a second, biting his lip... His eyes desperately wanted to shed their watery base, but he held it back... before speaking once more, as his hair covered his eyes..._

_"T-There were, m-multiple times... Where I t-tried to push myself, to e-end it... T-Take the easy way out, and c-close the charade... T-That...T-That had...b-become, my life..." Rigby said with a mutilated voice, as his eyes were covered in his bangs; as if all of his life worries, that were...temporarily halted... Overwhelmed him, once more... Suddenly, she went wide-eyed as she began to see drips of liquid had begun to stream down his cheeks; she saw the boy's hands began to shake violently, as his nails began to dig into the table surface... _

_She bit her lip as her woeful frown deepened, as she felt remorse for landing on this topic; she hadn't realized it had troubled the boy so hauntingly, as she watched more of his tears stream down his cheeks, before eventually falling of entirely._

_...The boy choked his cries in his throat, as he looked towards his left, clenching his eyes. He shakily and harshly bit his lip..., and ... He tried to avoid the gaze of the girl... He shakily spoke up once more, as his voice and tone were both haunted in grief and sorrow..._

_"B-B-But... I-I-I-I... c-c-couldn't do it..." He said in hurt, as he continued to look away from the girl; as his body trembled violently..._

_"_I-I-I c-couldn't do it...b-because... _I-I-I-I-I'm... A f-fucking, c-coward..." The boy said, as his voice cracked; yet his voice, still in grief, now possessed held back rage... She watched as his right hand his right hand began to clinch violently, mirroring the way the boy shook..._

_"I-I h-have always b-been a c-coward, and h-have always f-fucking d-despised b-being o-one... M-My parents t-taught me t-to b-believe in g-god, t-turn to h-him for a-answers..." Rigby began shakily, as his voice wavered in sorrow, his head was still turned away; as he felt his, whatever had been left of his self-respect, dignity, and pride; instantly shatter... _

_"A-And I-I-I d-did, a-and s-still d-do...Y-Yet, I n-never g-got a r-response...N-Nor a-a clue, a-and I remember... P-Pleading t-to god, t-to p-please h-help me... S-Sobbing m-myself t-to sleep, d-during my prayers...I s-so d-desperately h-held t-to that f-false hope...A-And I-I remember... E-Each m-morning w-when I a-awoke, I r-remember f-feeling s-so...lost..." He stopped for a moment, as he shakily bit his lip before continuing..._

_"I-I w-was a-and a-am i-in s-so m-much agony, and f-fear... T-That e-each morning w-when I-I a-awake, I-I w-would h-h-have to l-live a-another g-god d-damned d-day, of b-broken courage, a destroyed future, and vacant w-willpower..." The boy said, as his voice cracked in woe; his cries desperately trying to claw out of his chest, as he continued to shake violently, as if there were a bomb inside him that could explode in any second... _

Margaret felt _sorrow_ _for the boy in front of her, _she had no idea that _he had been going through this... Her frown was apparent, as her eyes; had subsided their sobs, and instead, had been resting despairingly on the boy in front of her; as her tear streams, tainted black in eyeliner; were slowly beginning to dry on her cheeks..._

_"N-Now... A-All my p-prayers, a-are b-begging god... N-No longer for a b-brighter l-life... B-But to e-end me, k-kill me, a-and discontinue m-my f-forsaken existence..." Rigby said in tormenting anguish, as he halted for a moment; before continuing...As Margaret's eyes, were still wide in shock..._

_"And the t-truly f-frusturating t-thing i-is... A-As m-m-much as I wanted to... I r-really c-couldn't blame m-my one and o-only f-friend, f-for wanting t-to l-leave..." The boy said in remorse and sorrow; Margaret's stomach sank as she realized who the boy was inferring to..._

_"I-In f-fact, t-the only reason... I think we w-were even friends... I-Is t-that he f-felt bad for me, as I have realized... that I am such a miserable; despicable; and worthless, waste of life; who should h-have never e-even b-been, c-conceived..." Rigby concluded in despair, voice trembling, as his shaking had violently increased; and his tears rapidly poured from his remorseful eyes..._

Margaret's chest was filled with _sorrow for the boy, as she watched as he shook violently; _she felt _woeful compassion, _ _as she saw he was so desperately trying to hold his emotions back; yet it was of no use, as it only made it more painful to him, and obvious to her... Her eyes became washed over with sorrow for the boy... She saw as the boy transitioned, and sat sideways on the bench; trying to avoid the gaze of the girl entirely..._

_She bit her lip, as she gently slid her hand towards the his side of the table; and gently gripped his hand with hers, squeezing it lightly to try and stop the boy's violent shaking, she felt the boy slightly fidget nervously under her grasp, as he looked towards her in surprise as crimson stained his cheeks; she saw his watery eyes, no longer covered in his hair, she noticed that they looked so lost, as if they were desperately trying to find a home... However, he quickly looked away; as he felt that he had showed her his frailness, and began to regret pouring his emotions out in the first place..._

_"D-Don't say t-that..." She said sympathetically, as she looked towards the boy in sorrow..._

_"There are many p-people who care about you... I k-know you don't think so, b-but Mordecai thinks of you as a b-brother..." She began hesitantly, as her eyes attempted to focus on the boy's face; however, _with him looking away, _it would prove to be difficult to gauge his reaction..._

_She noticed that the boy still seemed to be lost in woe, as she looked down towards his hand and hers for a moment; her eyes narrowed somewhat in despair, as her frown continued to be painted in anguish in agony... _She then_, nervously spoke up; as she bit her lip... _

_"_I_...care about you..." She said timidly as she looked towards the boy's and her hand, as she felt the boy twitch nervously; as he was startled by what the girl had said..._

The two sat their in silence, _for what seemed like forever; as Rigby bit his lip; wanting to say something in appreciation, but simply could not think of the proper words..._

He opened his mouth, _before closing it; multiple times, _as he was still caught off guard, and _unsure of what to say..._

_Rigby looked over towards her with a frown, meeting her eyes hesitantly... As his eyes had halted their cries of grief, as she saw the fresh stains still upon the boy's cheeks; showing that he had not stopped for long..._

_He dropped his gaze back towards his lap, and away from the girl;_ before he let out _a small sigh, and gently spoke up through a; still trembling voice..._

_"_I-I _t-think w-we s-should... g-get going..." Rigby said shakily, as he gently slid his hand away from the girl's; as he got off of the bench slowly, and stood up..._

Margaret_ watched him woefully, as she saw the boy walked towards the front door; before opening it, and exiting; he began to become drenched one more, by the severe weather outside; yet this time, seemed nearly oblivious to it happening... Through the window, she could see the melancholy ridden frown the boy had possessed, as his eyes desolately stared towards the ground below..._ The boy..._l__ooked_..._ Broken..._

_Margaret bit her lip, as she transitioned moving her legs over, and eventually stood up from the bench bench below..._

As she _stood up_, and _walked around the table... She sighed despairingly, _as she never would have_ predicted, _that the_; usually goofy and upbeat boy from two years ago..._

_Would have become so hollowed, so lost, so cracked, shattered, and showered in sorrow..._

_It seemed... from what Margaret had seen... That as life crumbled, so did the people along with it..._

_Before leaving everything, in desolate, lost, and cracked pieces..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading! :D I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for the delay on posting this chapter, I'm trying to get the chapters out daily :). Thanks again for reading! :D And I hope you all enjoy! :D**_

_**Thanks again! :D**_


	11. Expiration

_**Cessation: Chapter Eleven**_

_**Expiration**_

_**Quick Note:**_

_**Hey all! :) I'm guessing there is some confusion as to why I have not updated recently; well, unfortunately my laptop's hard drive fried out five or so days ago. This being said, I was left without a computer for a few days; luckily, my problem is fixed though and I can write again. :) I however, did try to reply to messages over my phone to the best of my abilities, and get back to people :D. My apologies, and thanks again! I hope this chapter lives up to the other ones! With that being said; I hope you enjoy the new chapter! :)**_

* * *

Rigby watched as _multiple _lights passed him as he drove; those being street lights, car lights, and lights sometimes decorating signs for local shops. He watched _as they lit and danced with _the darkness around him that was unable to be seen, and was out of the light reach of Margaret's car.

He watched as the rain continued to collide with the concrete roads; _as multiple car tires _belonging to _different cars; created a rhythm of ripples, _in the fallen rain. _He looked towards the clock; as it read, 12:23 A.M..._

He sighed; as he _looked towards his right, _and saw that Margaret was _luckily _asleep...Her head _rested on her hand; that was propped up upon the door's arm rest; her eyes were still swollen; as bags hung below them..._

She had _black mascara streaked down her cheeks; from the previous waterworks that her eyes had performed endlessly. She still had wounds accompanying her hand, knees, and lower legs. _Rigby _winced _upon _seeing these; they needed to get cleaned and treated, who knew what filth was on a cheap motel's floor... Her hair was matted up against her face; as it was covered in tears, make-up, and blood...yet the thing that was so odd was..._

_She seemed peaceful in her slumber; _as if the _previous _hours of _cruel realizations, _had _suddenly... Disappeared..._

_Not that he didn't dislike her company, _but just that she definitely could use the rest _with all she had been through that day..._

_Rigby looked back towards in front of him, as he bit his lip. _He gently rubbed his eyes with his _uninjured_ hand_; trying to shoo the impending exhaustion... _

He realized through _heavy eyes, that he was dreadfully; going to have to make a stop..._

Since _Margaret _had heavily protested going to get medical attention at a nearby _hospital; _he realized he was going to have to obtain some from a _local store. Just in case, _she currently did not have medical supplies handy at her apartment.

_Rigby still, was unable to grasp why she had wanted him to spend the night at her place... It seemed so...Random; _yet at the same time, _thoughtful. _

_He did appreciate her letting him do so however; _it just seemed like life was a constant complex variety of _issues, _that were never resolved; _and began to drown the unprepared..._

_Rigby, _was one of the people in the _society of the unprepared..._

He _regretted _all of the times where he had _underestimated _how harsh life truly was; _thinking, one day; the clouds would break, and the sun would shine once more..._

But that simply_ wasn't true..._

_Life; _was a _harsh; yet, hollow and desolate place. Where it killed those unprepared; where it shattered those who tried; where it broke those, who were too desperate..._

When you walked through the streets of any city; _you saw those who still clung on to their hopes; and those who had been cracked, and left to slowly decay..._

So many people in a world_ tried to grasp the same ball; and failed. Nobody was willing to share the ball; nobody was willing to assist those who lost. _

It was a never ending cycle of the _powerful ending those who were too weak; deemed incompatible with proper societal life. _

And those, who _were; _willing to help the weak, _in mere seconds; _became _corrupt, lost their morals; and abandoned those who they had promised..._

This had caused the _young boy many nightmares; tireless shuffling in his bed, _trying to _forget about everything around him..._

_Yet...he was unable to..._

_The dreams haunted him; they never subsided, nor went on hiatus. They were constant, and were plaguing the boy each night; about his failures, failing to help those around him; and just in general, having wasted his own life..._

Each night..._ It would never be the same dream... _A new horror; that managed teach night, _to_ _catch the boy off guard..._

_Each dream; the painful thing was, he remembered them all..._

Though; _it is hard to believe, _and in which so many dreams happen; _some easily could be forgotten..._

_But it was different for Rigby; _though, _he may of had to dig in his brain to find them, _he could remember _each painful, sorrowful, and agonizing nightmare..._

_It seemed as if his dreams had blinded him of some of his past memories, _the rare and _precious _ones that he held close that had been positive; _were shadowed by these haunting and tormenting dreams..._

_The dreams varied over multiple topics; his childhood, his family, Mordecai, Eileen, Benson, his shortcomings, his hollowed state, his inability to end his own life, his false hope, his broken courage, his decayed will, and the misery of continuing to live entirely..._

People were curious _as to why he had those dark and shadowed circles around his eyes, and this truthfully; was the reason to why, the boy could honestly...never sleep._

_it was too difficult to stay asleep when he had seen the chaotic images he would see in his nightmares... _And the thing that was _truly odd, is if he would fall asleep once more in the same night that he had that specific dream; it would repeat itself once more... Carving itself into Rigby's conscious..._

_Rigby, _had actually become _fearful, _of slumber. _As all he would think of; were the constant despairing visions; and how due to these, he would wake up feeling even more exhausted than before he had even gone to sleep..._

_Rigby sighed, _as he tried to _shoo _these thoughts temporarily; he looked around as he watched more and more lights, _harmonize _one another in_ utter darkness..._

_Though, _he remembered _each unforgettable fragment of his nightmares; his eyes still felt heavy, as the boy could not help but feel fatigued..._

As the car slowed, before coming to an entire halt at a red light. _Rigby, _once more felt his eyes become slightly heavier.

He moved his _one; healthy hand, _towards the radio, _but hesitated... He looked towards Margaret, and saw she was still peacefully asleep... He bit his lip..._

_If he played it quietly, would it affect her? He just needed something to stay awake..._

He let out a small sigh, _before he slowly increased the volume; and watched Margaret's body language as a reaction, and as a source of judgement on rather or not to continue.._

Luckily, _the quiet music didn't seem to affect Margaret; _however, _Rigby _could her it clearly.._..._

The red light turned green, _as he slowly pressed his foot upon the pedal; accelerating the car hesitantly..._

_He was paranoid for any damage to happen to Margaret's car during this heavy storm; so he was driving slowly, and cautiously..._

As he drove, _he heard the radio cut in and out; most likely due to the weather, luckily however; the guitar slowly broke through the interference..._

_Rigby _let his good arm rest on the steering wheel, _as he gently let his face rest upon that same arm; his mouth pressed up against his forearm while doing so..._

_As the vocals started...His mind suddenly wandered around his blue haired friend once more; causing him to become somewhat irritable, and incensed..._

_**I know...**_

_**Who you are...**_

He wondered, if Mordecai _knew _that Margaret was coming back... But he _bit his lip; _as he realized that he indeed did at one point, _have his heart set on this girl; would he ignore her because his heart changed directions to another girl?..._

_**I know...**_

_**Who you; are not...**_

Rigby's stomach _sank, _at the thought. _Though, _he highly doubted _Mordecai would do such a thing... But...what was it...hat drove him over the edge... to leave?..._

_**I know...**_

_**Who you are...**_

'Was it..._.Me?... Was he...Tired of me...or what I did...?' Rigby forlornly thought to himself; as the strings of woe began to strum in the boy once more..._

_**I, I know...**_

_**Who you, are not...**_

_Rigby gave a sad sigh; as his eyes began to loom from the road, towards the odometer, as he continued driving... His mind wondered, if his friend had grown up without him... Was he truly that childish?... That... his friends would leave him..._

_**The silence is deafening to my ears...**_

_Sadly... It made sense... And Rigby couldn't really blame Mordecai... All the times he would say, 'dude, grow up!' and, 'dude, stop playing video games and think about what you are going to do with your future, the park won't be here forever.'... Up until now, he didn't realize how serious those words were..._

_**How could the obvious be ignored?...**_

_Rigby truly felt guilty; he thought Mordecai was just joking, just a general joke related insult or a random choice of words; that a friend would throw at one another... But those...Those, were real... He had meant what he had said..._

_After a lengthy inward battle of agony; his mind then wondered towards a small, petite, and harmless coffee girl... Eileen... _

_**The silence is threatening when she appears...**_

_He truly should have tried to repay all of the attempts she made towards the boy; yet, he never did... The two became closer down the road; but it was nothing serious... It never became anything serious, because of him..._

_**The ceremony is performed...**_

_It was his fault... He had caused this; he abandoned the girl, when she had her heart set on him... He dejected her.../_

_**I'm here to paint you with my tears...**_

_**Decried my spirit over my fears...**_

_He wasn't sure if he truly felt anything for the petite girl... He really never searched his emotions; as he usually was preoccupied with something he would now have taken back, or just at the time didn't care... _

_**I can't walk away from all the years...**_

_**Serene inside, she disappears...**_

_He realized; unintentionally after they had become closer, that he...Had turned his back on the girl... And left her, after she had tried so many attempts to bond with the boy..._

_**Ends of my mind...**_

_**My thoughts trembling...**_

_Even if the two weren't going to become beloved's, or ever get into a relationship... He could have still been there for her... Been her friend, conversed with her, spent time with her; anything, anything would have crucially helped the girl..._

_**The hands of time...**_

_**Time always meddling...**_

_Suddenly, a loud car horn; blasted into Rigby's left ear... He shot his head up from the odometer; and he looked left towards an angry middle aged woman; waving her fist at the boy while cursing, her curses were muted by her own closed car windows... He had accidentally slowly weaved into the next road, while he was in his own; separate, hollow, and mournful world..._

_**The silence is deafening to my ears...**_

Rigby, _luckily, _saw the local store in the _corner of his eye. It wasn't too far, maybe two minutes until arrival if overshot. Relief _washed over the boy, as he knew he could get _Margaret _the supplies she needed; _suddenly he remembered..._

_**Seized by the impressions of passers in the night...**_

_He looked towards his left wrist; as he realized he still had a dire issue of his own... His wrist was still impaled; though it was a small object such as a pen; he would still gather unwanted attention in, any type of public area..._

_**I'm here to paint you with my tears...**_

_**Decried my spirit over my fears...**_

Rigby bit his lip, _as the closer the store got, the more he realized that he would have to deal with the matter himself... He saw, as he was mere seconds away from arriving at the store. _

_**I can't walk away for all the years...**_

_**Serene inside, she reappears...**_

_Rigby gave a small sigh, as he slowly pulled into the store... He saw that there were few cars that were parked at the store luckily; as he drove, he parked in one of the spots that was further from the entrance..._

_**I know, **_

_**who you are...**_

Rigby slowly turned the keys, _and removed them from the ignition; as the radio died out, and the car's engine subsided..._

He looked over towards _Margaret, who had curled into somewhat of a fetal position; but was luckily, still in a deep sleep..._

_His mind was filled with relief, as he looked forward once more; giving a small nervous swallow She was not going to have to watch him do this...And he was glad because of that..._

_Slowly, he opened the door; stepped out of the car,turned towards the car and closed the door behind him; and finally, locked the car... He felt as the rain collided with him; and began to soak the damp boy once more... _He gently placed the keys in his pocket; _as he realized what was about to happen..._

_He turned away from the car, as her raised his forearm to his face, and looked at his wound once more... He watched the the blood slowly was washed away as the rain continued it's tireless pace._

_Luckily, _his hoody sleeves had _rolled up by themselves somewhat before he was stabbed; and the arm of his hoody had no puncture marks..._

He gently placed his other hand _on the pen, and yelped in agony; as immediately, pain shot throughout his entire arm; causing his stomach to sink and his eyes to go wide..._

_He gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes,and was breathing heavily. His eyes winced in shock; the pain was overwhelming, as they boy began to feel sick to his stomach, and felt shaky once more..._

_Rigby tried to keep his composure; as suddenly, in a quick wrench; he pulled it out, causing the boy to yell in affliction, as his eyes shot wide in shock..._

He looked _towards_ _his wound as his breathing violently shook; and saw as blood began to pour from it; rain colliding with his wound, as the blood and water began to form a mixture..._

_He felt as shock and his arm cried in distress; as agony fully ran rampant through his body... He winced as he dropped the bloodied pen the a puddle of water on the uneven concrete road below..._

It created a small _splash; and click, _as it collided with the ground below. _The pen_ bounced on its edges before coming to a halt_; as it's entirety was submerged in the small puddle below..._

Rigby_ gently _held up his wrist_, as more crimson poured from it; he let the rain begin to hopefully, clean some of it out; and make it less noticable... _The _hasty and thick _rain drops_, rapidly _collided with his wound; the boy winced as he felt _each and all _of the drops collide...

However, he_ realized the rate of blood loss was something that was never easily going to be washed away... _

_He narrowed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing, as he gently pulled the sleeve of his hoody down to cover the wound; he felt a sting in his arm as the sleeve continued down._

He _winced, as the wound was still fresh, and the contact with the cloth pained him, as it slowly traveled down his arm... He gently let his arm drop to his side as he brought the hoody sleeve down entirely, ending as the sleeves made it to the tip of his fingers. _

Rigby _saw as blood trailed down his wrist, _meeting with his hands; _as they dripped onto the floor rigged concrete floor below; mixing with the rain..._

He then realized he was _still shaking from shock, he tried to subdue it _as he pulled the _hood _of the _hoody _over his _long brown hair; _before he slowly began to walk towards the direction of the store...

He noticed he _slowly began to feel dizzy... _As his legs _felt like in an instant; _that they had _lost all of their muscular strength..._

_"Damn..." Rigby cussed through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes, as he slowly made his ways towards the entrance of the building..._

_Life truly was harsh, on those souls who were unprepared..._

* * *

_****__**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading! :) I hope you enjoyed! :) I tried to finish this chapter quickly; so I can try to make up for the small hiatus. :) The song was Deafening Silence by Serj Tankian, and yes... I freaking have said many times I own it, cause I just do. Because people are all like, "HEY ARREKU97, HAVE RIGHTS TO ALL MY STUFF" and I reply, "KAY THX." Nah, I'm just kidding. I own 0 rights to the song or to Regular Show. So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed! :) Thanks for reading :D!**_


	12. Cache

_**Cessation: Chapter Twelve**_

_**Cache**_

* * *

Rigby bit his lip as the automatic doors slid open for him; leading him _into the store. _He gently walked through; _as he looked around his general area, it appeared to be fairly empty._

_Which was a good thing, _Rigby saw as _blood _still continued to run from his hand; _and did not wish to have extra attention of concerned customers and employees..._

He sighed as he began to walk through the main passage way through the store; he listened as his foot steps echoed through the store;_ as if it was the only noise going throughout the entirety of the store. _

As he continued; _he made his ways towards the isle's that were close to his left side. _He scanned through them, cleaning supplies; make-up; shower supplies; hair supplies; _until finally, medical supplies. _

He hastily scampered into the aisle; as he was in the aisle, _he looked around. There were multiple choices that nearly could overwhelm the average person..._

He bit his lip as he thought of _the essentials, he walked up to one of the aisle walls shortly after; scanning through all of the possible options. _

He saw _boxes of bandages; and quickly grabbed three boxes, he then grabbed gauze; dressings, medical tape; and wound cleansers..._

_He put his gaze towards all of the medical supplies; that were gathered in his healthy arm; his raised his brows a bit..._

_'This should be enough... Right?" _He thought to himself _nervously as his eyes focused on the medical supplies below. as though; he had gotten injured numerous times; he was inexperienced at treating wounds. _

He looked back towards the aisle wall, filled with medical items; and grabbed _a small bottle of alcohol; in case the wound cleanser was not enough to entirely disinfect the serious wounds that were evident on the two..._

As he balanced all of the necessary items in his arm, _he departed from the aisle; and made his way to the check out. _

After he left the isle, he made his way down the _walkway. _While walking, _he hesitantly looked around him; and luckily, saw not a single person in sight..._

_"Good." He thought hastily to himself; _he truly was _glad _there was not going to be _interaction between other life forms _at the moment; and he was planning to use the _self check out _machine; _this would make it nearly impossible to have to have social interaction..._

As he was walking; he found the _self check out machines, _he quickly made his one to one; _and when he arrived at the nearest machine, _he sat his items down on a counter that was installed on the machine.

He quickly clicked the button with his finger that said _'Start Check-Out'; _he quickly grabbed each item and scanned it; trying to complete this task _as quickly as possible._

After a few items; _he was down to his final two necessities. _He scanned the final two items, and pulled out his wallet.

He opened his wallet and quickly grabbed the _required funds; he quickly stuffed it into the machine; _the machine hesitated before it spoke up.

_'Thanks for shopping at Kailer's! Please come again!'_

He saw as his change was exported from the machine; _he quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into his pocket. _He then, _swept his purchased items _off of the counter towards his left into a small plastic bag.

He pulled the plastic bag off of the hinges that held it; _before he wrapped the handle of it around his wrist..._

He then turned towards the exit; and began to walk, when _suddenly..._

_A familiar echoed in his ears, causing his eyes to go wide, and his mouth to slowly gape open... One in which that filled the boy with fury... He looked towards his left, to confirm what he had heard..._

_As he looked towards his left; he saw the back of a certain obese man, a certain obese man in which was nearly killed mere hours ago... His eyes narrowed in rage, as his teeth gritted in irritation. _

_He saw that damned man overshadowing what seemed like a small petite figure; _he couldn't make out the person though, and the _damned man was..._

_"Yelling;" _Rigby said under his breath, "He's _yelling at someone else?! Already?!" Rigby seethed, as he slowly walked up to the scene; his hands tensing up along the way..._

_He began to make out the words the man was saying; however, they now sounded slightly muffled and incoherent as he was now missing a few teeth... Rigby began to clench his fists..._

_"Sso; thiss iss how you do a job? Really? Who tsaught you how tso do tshis? Where is your manager?" The man yelled towards the petite figure, as he hovered over it. _

_"Sir, I'm sorry..." A familar voice said apologetically, yet; Rigby was blinded in anger in which he didn't recognize this voice._

_Rigby continued to approach the man, and was mere feet away from the man as he spoke up once more..._

_"Yeah, right. I tshink everybody has heard that one befo-" Suddenly the man halted; as he felt a hand touch his shoulder..._

_The man hesitantly turned around; and looked down towards the boy, that he had previously encountered not long ago..._

_"Your not involved in this, small-f-" Suddenly, the man halted; as a petite fist that belonged to Rigby drove itself into the man's cheek; causing the man to fall back; as the second hidden petite figure, had to hurry out fo the way of the man's destination upon the floor._

_The man completely fell back on the floor; as his back collided entirely with the floor below, and his eyes rolled back; as his breath's became shaky... _He_ laid _there for a few seconds_, before his eyes had closed entirely, and his breathing began to compose itself. The man quickly fell unconscious._

_Rigby kept his enraged gaze upon the man for a good while, until it was confirmed that he was truly unconscious; in which Rigby _calmed his _aggressive posture, _and stood _upright _once more.

As he did, his fury ridden narrowed eyes; subsided into a more calm, relaxed and passive state. His showing gritted teeth; returning to a frown, as his lips sealing entirely.

Rigby looked at the man for a few more seconds with _furrowed brows; _before he_ eased them. _Rigby then brought his own still formed fist up to his face; as he gazed at it with raised brows...

_"Hm, who knew all those games of punchies would come in handy..." Rigby mumbled to himself; as his fist subsided, and his hand returned to it's normal posture. _He then, let his hand _drop _to his side... As he brought his gaze to the person who was receiving the _verbal abuse, _and when he slowly did; _he went-wide eyed and froze, as his lips slowly cracked open in surprise..._

_The figure in front of Rigby, gave him a small nervous smile; as she gave a small wave, and spoke up..._

_"H-Hey...Rigby." Eileen spoke, in the flesh; he kept silent, as he took in the girl's changed appearance. _

_Her hair had grown out; as her she now had two pony-tails that hung from each side of her long hair; her hair had lasted to the middle of her back; as she was without her glasses, and her blue eyes sparkled as the harsh light coming from the ceiling bulbs collided with them._

Rigby _swallowed nervously, "H-H-Hey Eileen...W-...W-What are you doing here?" He asked nervously, as he felt his stomach sink upon conversing..._

_"How are...you?" She spoke up timidly; _as both of them sensed the _thick _tension that ran through the oxygen in which they _breathed..._

_Rigby hesitated; "I, umm...I'm good...I just; it's just been...Kind of a crazy last few weeks..." _Rigby spoke _quietly, as he looked towards the floor; avoiding her gaze... There were too many memories of a better time when he looked at her, and now all of that; had been obliterated, and was never going to come back..._

_"That's good. I'm glad to hear that." Eileen spoke honestly; as she looked towards Rigby timidly, and saw his attempts to avert his gaze from her... _She_ frowned upon seeing this, and decided to speak up..._

_"Is something wrong, Rigby?" _She spoke _with worry; as she looked towards the boy, the boy in which she previously hoped to be her beloved... _She saw as the _boy nervously _fidgeted upon her question, as he looked up to her abruptly.

The boy went wide-eyed with a small woeful frown as he waved his hands towards the girl defensively, though he hid it well,_ this whole conversation had been agonizing, as it had reminded the boy once more of his past mistakes..._

"N-No! I mean... No...No, I am fine..." _The boy spoke timidly and wide-eyed, he then, bit his lip _as he let his gaze drop to the floor once more... Eileen frowned upon seeing this, as she raised her brows _sympathetically... She knew the boy wasn't telling the truth; but she wasn't going to press him nor force it from him..._

_"W-What are... Y-You doing here...?... A-At the s-store I mean; why are you w-working here, i-if I may ask..." Rigby asked hesitantly; trying to think of something to say, however; what he had asked was sincere, what was with the infamous coffee girls getting new jobs suddenly? _

_"Oh;" She replied softly, "I work here now, because I moved into a new apartment... At the time before Chad had was hired by the park; this was the easiest method in which we could...hang out, together..." She spoke nervously while looking towards the ground, frown present._

She wasn't entirely certain of how _tender _and _fresh, the affliction of losing their_ friendship had been on Rigby...

Rigby _winced_ upon hearing her say _'Chad', he truly loathed that boy; and simply didn't trust him... Something about him, seemed so... Treacherous... As if he were just using the girl for something more sinister; _but Rigby believed that was just his _previous record _with the boy, as if his thoughts were _corrupted _with their previous mishap...

_"Oh...Well, that's good..." _Is all Rigby managed _to muster up as he looked towards the floor dejectedly; his words were filled with torment and remorse, and with each second; his thoughts became darker, as his words became vacant..._

Rigby was not only sad about seeing a _romantic interest from the past, but he noticed something new; causing the boy to clench his hands, as his fingernails dug into his hand..._

_The chemistry the two once shared, when their friendship had developed; it was..._

_Gone._

_Gone as in, it seemed each word was forced; and their friendship would be unable to rekindle in the future, as if Rigby had smashed it all into dust... Something else, that Rigby had broken in his life; and it taunted him each and every day, as it nearly seemed as if it was a curse..._

_"I-I u-umm..." Rigby stuttered, Eileen raised her eyebrow in confusion as she looked towards Rigby._

_"I...gotta go...I-I'm sorry." Rigby said sorrowfully while he still avoided her gaze, as he timidly turned around, and was about to begin to walk towards the exit once more..._

_"Wait...Rigby." She spoke up, as she saw the boy turn to leave... The boy halted shortly after hearing her low voice..._

_"Yeah?" He looked towards her, with his figure still turned away from her; he caught her figure in the corner of his eye as he looked over his shoulder..._

_"Please..." She looked down timidly with sorrowful eyes, before she looked back up to the boy with a frown. "P-Please t-take care of yourself... F-For me...Okay?" She spoke nervously; as her eyes became saddened with a small frown at the recollection of what once was; the memories that she had still thought of to this very day..._

_Rigby gave her a small woeful smile, as his eyes regained a small quantity of their lost hope; as he was still looking over his shoulder towards the girl..._

_"I will...thanks... You too, okay?" He replied hiding his agony; as he continued his painful smile._

_She nodded, "Yeah...Of course." She said woefully, as it seemed that the fallen chemistry the two shared..._

_had been there for a brief moment..._

_Slowly, Rigby continued to walk towards the exit once more..._

_As Rigby continued walking; he bit his tongue, as his plaguing emotions engulfed him... They so desperately wanted to surface; to scream their agony, to yell their sorrow... yet he held each of them back tirelessly..._

As he arrived at the exit, _he quickly went through the automatic doors; he even took his hands and began to spread them himself, and after it was of no use; he squeezed through the door slowly parting doors; as he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible..._

As he made it through the doors; _he halted, and bit his tongue harshly with clenched hands; as he began to feel the emotions run there way up through his throat _once more... _He looked up towards the sky; as he saw the sky continuing to cry its grief on its participants..._

Yet, _he tried his best to dismiss these emotions, as he continued walking; his hands still clenched harshly, as his teeth dug their way into his tongue..._

After some more steps; _Rigby saw Margaret's car, _as he remembered he had parked it towards the end, for _privacy when he had to remove an object of discomfort that was lodged inside of him..._

He continued walking;_ as every fiber in his very being, continued to scream inside of him... It felt as if he were being burnt from the inside..._

Eventually, _after more of his agonizing past shadowed his continued walking; _ _he made it to Margaret's car. He quickly grabbed the keys from his pocket; as he hurriedly unlocked the car door..._

He quickly opened the car door; after it had been unlocked, _he then _got into the car, stepping over the _bloodied pen; and halting the water from the skies that cried itself upon him ..._

_As he got into the car; _he _hastily _yet _gently _put the bag in the back seat, as water slowly dripped from the wet boy...

_He then, began to make his way downwards; as he entirely sat down in his seat, and gently closed his door... He stared at the steering wheels a few seconds, before starting the car..._

He looked towards the steering wheel _in sorrow; _he bit his lip _gently, _as he saw the _water that began to well up in the corner of his eyes, as he gently began to shake... Rain slowly dripping from his once more freshly soaked hair..._

As he held back his cries, _he blinked his eyes and clenched them rapidly to try and fight back the liquid that threatened to peel from his eyes..._

_He needed something to distract him; anything..._

_"Rigby...Are you alright?" A voice spoke timidly; _causing_ Rigby to jump, _the boy looked towards his right immediately. he was wide-eyed ;_as he saw that Margaret was awake, sitting upright while looking towards the boy... Her crimson eyes coated in sincere concern, as her brows were raised in worry..._

_Rigby bit his lip as his eyes were filled with hurt; "Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine... S-Sorry, I d-didn't m-mean to w-wake y-you up..." He spoke softly; as his voice was gentle, yet filled with sorrow and melancholia..._

_Margaret, upon hearing his voice, seeing his ; knew the boy was in a great deal of distress, and knew the boy was on the bridge of breaking..._

_"Rigby...please; tell me what's wrong..." She spoke nervously, as her eyes became more and more filled with commiseration... _She wore a _despairing frown; _yet at the same time, _it was filled with solace and solicitude..._

"P-Please Margaret, I'm t-telling y-y-you the truth... I r-really am fine..."Rigby attempted to speak reassuringly; yet it was still engulfed in grief and heartache...

His_ frown, eyes, and posture; all _were encased in _desolation... _Margaret _wasn't _going to let this go; _she needed to know what was tormenting that boy so harshly... Her eyes narrowed in determination, as she took a more aggressive posture. _

_"Rigby; I'm your friend, tell me what's wrong. If you hold it in, it will eat away at you; and will only make the problem that much worse...So I ask you; please, tell me..." _She spoke _directly; _yet _comfortingly, _she then saw as the boy _let his gaze drop downwards briefly..._

_She then, gently let her hand travel; as it made its way, then rested on the petite boy's shoulder. _The boy _nervously jumped; as he looked back up towards the girl,as his eyes were swelling as sorrow began to overflow them... He looked away from the girl once more, _as when he gazed in her direction; it made it that much more _punishing to hold back the _

_"Please..." She spoke softly once more with a small frown, _as her hand _continued it's presence on the boy's shoulder... Her eyes focused on the boy; as the compassion that were worn by them, was the same color of crimson that the eyes them self were..._

_Rigby was about to break; every piece of the crystal fragment beginning to shatter, and rip away...He clinched his eyes in agony, as he gritted his teeth, trying to..._

_Suddenly; he looked back towards the girl, as his face was filled with distress. His eyes were straining to contain themself, causing him to wince. His restraint was crumbling to its last fragment..._

_He then opened his mouth abruptly to shed all of his agony; as his eyes clinched, when suddenly..._

_The two heard a vibration; immediately destroying the progress Margaret had just made with the boy..._

_Tears began to pour down Rigby's cheek, as he turned away slowly from the girl... Margaret saw these, and winced sympathetically; as she gently let her hand slide off of the boy's shoulder; _as she _desperately wanted to continue her words, yet realized; it most likely wouldn't have the same effect as the first time..._

_He slid his hand into his pocket, as he quickly grabbed his phone; pulled it out, clicked it and held it towards his face; light from the phone engulfing the boy's silhouette..._

He slowly _read the new found text through the darkness the laminated in the car; as his eyes still watered, streaming down his cheeks in their heartache..._

_"Hey man, is everything okay? Are you doing alright?" The text read; the text was from Thomas, and it being from Thomas somewhat reassured Rigby; he truly did care for the safety and well being of his friend..._

Rigby _slowly began to type, as tears collided with the screen of his phone; a small glint of appreciation glinting in the boys eyes..._

* * *

_**Elsewhere...**_

* * *

Thomas sat on his bed, as he ran his fingers through his hair, while his gaze was focused on the ground below;... _He nervously awaited Rigby's reply; _he wasn't even sure_ if his small brown haired _friend would reply... It was _quite late after all; as a few seconds ago, the clock had read 1:07 A.M. on Thomas's phone, _when he had _sent the text to Rigby..._

_Thomas slowly and nervously tapped his fingers upon his knee as he continued to wait patiently... _

_It was if he could sense the distress that was going through his small friend at that moment... He almost knew, that he wasn't asleep; and he was indeed, awake..._

_Suddenly; a few mere seconds later, his phone vibrated... A wave of relief washed over Thomas, _as his gaze was then focused towards his phone sitting beside him.

Thomas quickly picked up his phone while clicking it, _as he brought the screen to his face; _he saw that the text indeed _was from Rigby; _as his relief entirely _engulfed _him upon seeing this...

He swiped the screen of his phone with his finger, as his phone then _glared the contents of the text; the light from his phone emanating his silhouette..._

'Hey, and yeah I'm good... Thanks for checking in.' The words of the text glowed towards Thomas; as Thomas let out a small _soothed_ sigh and raised his head with a reassured smile...

He truly was glad his friend was safe and secure;_ it seemed, _as if his petite friend had become the target of_ the world's cruel gaze, and never gave him a brief moment to recover..._

_However, as Thomas smiled, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate; _as his _Fist Pump _ringtone _blared_ at high volume,_ causing the boy to freeze briefly. _His smile_ faded, _as his _relief halted; he looked down towards his phone once more..._

He looked towards the glaring screen; as he slowly read the number... It was one, that _was unfamiliar to Thomas; _maybe it was a wrong number...

He was about to let the call and the ringing subside; _however, _something inside of him _twinged; as it __screamed at him to immediately answer it..._

He gently swiped his finger to accept the call; _as he quickly brought up the phone to his ear..._

"Hello?" Thomas spoke, his words _contaminated in curiosity, as his brow was raised in wonder that riveted in his features..._

_"Hey Thomas," A familiar voice spoke; "It's Mordecai..."_

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey! :) Thanks for reading! :) I hope you enjoyed! :D Sorry my updates haven't been as frequent; school started up once more, and I've been more busy recently. But I'm trying to work on these as much as possible; as I enjoy writing it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it! :D Thanks for reading!**_

_**Thanks again! :D**_


	13. Promise

_**Cessation: Chapter Thirteen**_

_**Promise**_

* * *

_"Mordecai..." Thomas began flabbergasted with wide-eyes; Hey man, what's up?" Thomas composed himself casually, as a million questions ran through his mind; _he held them back however, as he was curious as to _why his blue and black haired friend called him..._

_"We just got to a hotel where we could chill out for a bit; it's been kind of a crazy trip so far hehe... CJ is already asleep, but I honestly couldn't fall asleep with everything being so crazy recently..." Mordecai trailed off slowly; Thomas could sense something was troubling him, but patiently and passively let it slide until a opportunity arose..._

"That's cool man; I'm glad to hear everything is going so well, are things going well_ for CJ too?" _Thomas asked _as he chose to further and lengthen the conversation; before he asked the question weighing on his mind..._

"Yeah; she is good, it's a bit weird for her adjusting with everything, but to be honest; the very same thing could be _said for me... It's weird, because I enjoy it; yet, at the same time I occasionally get home sick, and my mind will wander to the park..." Mordecai began hesitantly, as the volume of his voice slowly decreased throughout his words..._

Thomas _could guess why Mordecai was feeling homesick; it wasn't even the atmosphere, nor the house, nor the coffee shop; no, none of those things..._

_It was Rigby;_ though the two shared _limited words _near the end; _the two were still best friends, who would never give up the memories they shared and the bond they wore on their sleeves..._

_Thomas decided it was the time to ask the impending question; yet, it seemed as if he already knew the answer..._

"So... _What were you calling me for man? _Not that I mind it or anything like that, _but I can tell something's on your plate; plus it's 1:13 in the morning..." _Thomas began _hesitantly; _as he wondered _if it was wise to pursue the source and intention so abruptly... _But he knew _Mordecai; _and it was _very unlikely _for him to call so late with no meaning behind it..._Well, unless it was Rigby; the two could simply call each other just to crack jokes, but it wasn't the same with Thomas; _as _Thomas knew there was a more serious reason that was underlying their conversation..._

_"_Hehe, _yeah... Sorry about that man... Umm, yeah, the thing I was wondering...is umm..." Mordecai began timidly; _nearly immediately _confirming Thomas' suspicions... He waited for the words to confirm his beliefs..._

After a few more moments of silence; _Mordecai spoke his low and soft voice once more..._

_"Rigby...I-Is he doing... okay?" Mordecai asked hesitantly, as his voice became more serious and filled with worry. Thomas smiled, jackpot; his theory was spot on, yet, _he wasn't going to focus on this too much; _he needed to help both of his friends out... Thomas then, spoke up calmly in reply..._

_"He is not doing bad... But he isn't great, with you leaving and all... It's been a bit rough on him... Everyone understands why you left though; nobody is angry, it's just a bit weird and harsh to get used to is all..." _Thomas spoke up _directly; _as he didn't want to sound _hurtful, but he needed to let Mordecai know the truth; rather than putting on a charade of false security..._

_"Ah... I see..." Mordecai said slowly; as Thomas could hear the blue and black haired boy's voice becoming slightly more woeful; _as the _recollection of those precious memories; replayed the tape in his head once more..._

The two shared _silence _for a moment_, as Thomas started to get nervous as to the boy not replying for some time; _he hoped he didn't come on _too strong or harsh, _he just _desperately _wanted for the boy to know how much the other boy _needed his friendship... He subconsciously, yet nervously; began biting his lip... _

_"Do you..." Mordecai began hesitantly, _as_ relief washed over Thomas; to hear the boy's voice once more; and to know that he didn't speak his beliefs too hastily..._

Thomas waited for the boy to continue; as he realized it was still a _fresh wound, that when picked upon; could make the recipient indecisively hesitate..._

_"D-Do you... Think it... would help, i-if I called him...? Things got kind of distant between us near the end; and I'm not certain how much he trusts me anymore..." Mordecai began timidly; yet truthfully, as remorse flew through his words rapidly...As; those times where his heart chose to go out with his dates, as it left his friend behind; slowly increased the regret that weighed upon the boy..._

_Thomas visibly face planted; _though, the two boys were _both stubborn and proud... _The things they were doing now could _still _amaze people; neither of them wanted to be the _first _one to voice their_ concerns, _nor _misery... _

_"Yes!..._I mean... Yes...I-I think that would help..." Thomas recovered _from his sudden outburst, as he chucked with closed eyes while nervously scratching the back of his head; before composing himself entirely..._

_"Do you umm... Know if he's... awake...? It's late after all..." Mordecai spoke nervously; _as _Thomas smiled,_ and the resolve he was hoping for was starting to _become a reality..._

_"Yeah man, he totally is; I just texted with him, so don't hesitate to shoot him a call..." _Thomas spoke _truthfully; as he wanted to seal the plan, and avoid any possible setbacks... _

_"Oh cool... Hm,hm, then I guess I'll shoot him a call... Thanks Thomas, I appreciate it man." Mordecai spoke, as his tone became slightly more upbeat rather than worried; it even seemed slightly excited and filled with optimism to talk to his best friend once more..._

_"No problem man; anytime... Good luck." Thomas spoke enthusiastically as a smile spread across his face; as his joyful eyes glistened in hope... Shortly after, Mordecai spoke once more in reply..._

"Thanks man, and thanks again..._Thanks for everything...Your a good friend... _I'll see you..." And with that; _Mordecai hung up the phone; _leaving a _optimistic smile; that lit Thomas' features..._

* * *

_**Elsewhere...**_

* * *

Margaret and Rigby had drove in solemn silence; _as the boy had managed to choke his tears once more, yet; his face was still pained, hurt, and in agonizing distress...And Margaret saw this..._

She was _hesitant however _to speak up once more; _as she didn't want to smother the boy, and scare him away..._

Though; _she needed to find what was wrong, not long ago; she shed her problems to Rigby, and he even did his to her... So what was the difference now?... Was that just a mistake?... Or did he truly trust her?..._

_Suddenly; a memory hit Margaret, from the time when she had just returned from college..._

* * *

_**Flashback~**_

* * *

"So," The red haired girl began; "you're _leaving_ the shop after all this time,_ eh?"_ Margaret said casually, as she looked towards the petite girl who sat by one of the front lunchroom tables; her items and occupational belongings set nearby...

"Yeah..." Eileen slowly began, "I don't know... _I think the main reason I stayed was because of Rigby... But it's different now, and he doesn't come here often... _So, _there is really no point in staying..." She spoke with a frown looking downwards, slightly saddened at the recollection of better times..._

Margaret frowned, _as she knew it was true; things were different... _In two years, _this place had changed more than anyone could have guessed..._

_"Yeah... Well... please stay safe for me; okay?" She said as she walked up towards the petite girl; and gave her a warm embrace... The girl returned it after a few seconds more of her sorrowful recollections, a frown still evident on her face; as it was hard to say goodbye to all of the memories the small shop had of better times..._

_"Yeah... I will... Don't worry..." Eileen sad slightly saddened as the two continued their woeful embrace; _the two realized this was most likely one of their last meetings with one another, as life had become so crazy recently; _nothing ever seemed to stay the same nor relevant..._

_"Where... Are you going to go?" Margaret asked hesitantly; _as she wasn't sure if it was the proper way to ask that question, but felt herself unable to find the _right _words to voice her distress...

Eileen hesitated; _"I don't know... Not somewhere too far; I've saved money to move somewhere close enough to Chad; so we can spend more time together, it seems like a nice place... I applied at a grocery store for a temporary job, hopefully they'll hire me so I can have some extra cash in case anything goes wrong..." Eileen spoke nervously, _as her eyes _focused on the ground below..._

_"What's the place called?" Margaret asked curiously as the two continued the embrace..._

_"Kailer's..." Eileen spoke hesitantly; as her voice was muffled in Margaret's chest..._

_The two shortly after, slowly broke the embrace, as they gave each other one last smile... Eileen picked up her remaining items; as she looked towards Margaret with a despairing frown..._

_"Bye...Margaret." Eileen said woefully..._

_"Bye Eileen..." Margaret mirrored her tone along with her frown; as the two looked at each other sadly for one last moment, before Eileen turned away; and left, leaving only one girl left in the coffee shop..._

_Margaret looked down at her feet for a moment, with a desolate frown, and dejected crimson eyes... Her stomach sank, as true loneliness set in... She had just lost her best friend in mere seconds... She was now; once more, by herself in this cursed existence..._

_She then gave a small broken sigh; before she turned around and went back to continue her work..._

* * *

_**Flashback End~**_

* * *

Margaret quickly _turned_ her head towards the back seat; as her _eyes went wide; as her suspicions were confirmed, _as the grocery bag that _Rigby had previously brought in did indeed have the Kailer's logo plastered upon it..._

_Margaret returned her gaze frontward; _as she looked towards _Rigby,_ and saw him with his chin _plastered _upon the steering wheel, as his petite arms gripped both of the other sides of the steering wheel..._ He occasionally glanced towards the GPS Margaret had instructed him on how to use before leaving, but did virtually nothing else; rather than appear to be in gloom, misery, and sorrow..._

_Suddenly, _an idea hit _Margaret; she had burnt some CD's a while ago, _and knew she had a few _sadder songs _made for those_ tireless _days at college... She figured if she couldn't simply _talk to him about it, she could do it indirectly..._

She didn't necessarily _want _to do this; _but saw no other option... Hesitantly; _she let her hand embark upon the radio controls; _as she changed the input to CD, as she slowly turned up the volume..._

_She saw Rigby looking curiously at her from the corner of his eye; as hurt and pain still ran through them rapidly..._

She bit her lip, as she searched through the songs; _then, she suddenly found one that was perfect for the situation... Relief washed over her, as she turned the song up somewhat loud... _

_Rigby raised his brows in confusion, but chose not to protest... _The tension in the car, _was so thick; that it nearly suffocated the boy..._

The song started with four beats of a hi-hat, before the guitars and bass came in; _completing _the instrumental fragment of the song. _Not long after,_ the _vocals eventually made their way in..._

_**Two years have passed since you and I broke up...**_

_**but somehow it still seems like it was just yesterday...**_

_**We've both gone our separate ways...**_

_**But occasionally I still find myself passing you on the other side of the street...**_

_Rigby's eyes began to widen; as he saw the intention of Margaret's song, he bit his lip as he tried his best to ignore it..._

_I__** can't really say...**_

_**That I'd like to return to that time, because it was very difficult...**_

_**But the truth is, even now I can't help but feel sad...**_

_**because I still love you...**_

Rigby _winced _as the song continued to play; _as he tried his very best to put on armor and block it out; _yet, _it managed to pierce through a small crack..._

_**I was miserable, sad, and cried every night...**_

_**You broke my heart, so I tried to forget you...**_

_**But for some reason I still think about you, don't I?**_

_**I'm just so lonely...**_

_Rigby bit his tongue; as though he desperately tried to restrain himself, everything was slowly falling apart..._

_**Where are you now, and what are you doing?**_

_**I wonder if you were ever able to fulfill those dreams that were so important to you...**_

_**Maybe I just worry too much about things like that...**_

_**But please, don't erase me from your life...**_

_Rigby felt once more, as that damned liquid made its way to the corner of his eyes... Why was Margaret doing this? _Did she truly wish to _torment him? Rigby became more, and more irritable, _with each passing second; _as his fingernails dug into her steering wheel..._

_**Do you still remember? The tears and the smiles that overflowed in those precious days...**_

_**Then we wept together, and said we'd meet again, that we'd never forget...**_

_**Even though I'm such a weak crybaby, could we maybe walk together again?**_

_**I'll wait as many years as it takes for that day to come...**_

_Rigby _was not only in _agonizing despair; but he also felt fury, as red filled his eyes; the same eyes that now dropped their liquid crystals... He wanted _to be angry at her_, yet he realized he simply couldn't be..._

_**Please let me hear your voice; I'm still right here...**_

_**I'm not going anywhere I'll always, always be right here...**_

_**I want to hear your voice, so I'll try calling you on the phone...**_

_**But as I expected, you won't take my call...**_

_Rigby _realized that she was _only _doing this because _she truly did care; as she so desperately previously had tried to get the boy to talk before Thomas had luckily abruptly halted her attempts..._

_**Are you avoiding me? I don't understand it...**_

_**Then one day I ran into you...**_

_**You looked so happy, smiling, holding hands with the person you're in love with now...**_

_Rigby _felt as the _tears slowly began to fall from the corner of his eyes; as it simply was overwhelming... There was something however; Margaret had not yet grasped..._

_It wasn't just Eileen..._

_It was everything..._

_**You looked so grown-up, so very beautiful...**_

_**And although it should have made me sad, I was kind of happy for you...**_

_**Just seeing your face and that you're doing well is enough...**_

_**So I tried to act cool...**_

_**I couldn't say anything, though...**_

_**As I tried to hold back my tears...**_

_Margaret saw as the boy's restraints completely shattered; she frowned woefully and sympathetically as she looked towards the boy, she truly didn't want to be harsh on him... She just wanted him to know that she was there, she could help... Her crimson eyes that were focused on the petite boy by her side, burnt in pity..._

_**So I just gave you a little wave...**_

_**To say "thanks" and "I'm doing fine"...**_

_**So goodbye to you...**_

_**Even now, I still wish you nothing but happiness...**_

_*Vibrate* _

_Rigby _felt as he began to _shake; all of his mistakes; his regrets; his fears; his nightmares, they strained his emotional well being each day with how much they haunted the boy... _

_*Vibrate*_

_Rigby let the tears pour from his eyes, as he almost wanted to scream in agony... _Yet, _his pride chained in place; and kept his suffering and breaking restraints active..._

_**You, the person who I love so much, who soon I won't get to see anymore...**_

_**Really, thank you from the bottom of my heart...**_

_**So goodbye, please be well...**_

_**Until the day we meet again...**_

_*Vibrate* _

_Rigby felt his insides tighten, as they tried so desperately to keep himself composed; his eyes winced in pain, as he bit his tongue in desperation to try and hold it all back once more..._

_*Vibrate*_

_He then noticed the two had made it speedily to Margaret's apartment complex, as he hastily pulled in still trying desperately to keep his composure; it was straining him harshly; as it became more challenging with each passing second..._

_*Vibrate*_

_As he was in the parking lot driving furiously, he found a small space; as tears continued to well, he abruptly pulled into the space... His eyes were now entirely bleeding their sorrow, as he sat upright and harshly turned his agony filled gaze to the girl, looking not only despondent, but agitated as well..._

_"Fine!" Rigby began furiously, " It's true! I am- " However, he was abruptly cut off..._

_As when he was shadowed in grief; Margaret felt remorse for putting so much strain on the boy, and pulled him into a comforting embrace, as the bridge of his nose was pressed up against her shoulder... Her arms wrapped around his upper shoulder, as her hand gently held and the back of his head..._

_She realized it would be easier for him to just let his tears speak for him, rather than saying it with words... And she was completely fine with that... She held him tightly, as tight as she could to signify how sorry she was for even doing that..._

_Rigby was wide-eyed for a brief moment, before his eyes; then chest gave out, and he began to sob; though each sob was muffled by her chest... Her soft and silk-like hair tickled gently brushed up against his face, as it nearly tickled; yet he didn't focus on that whatsoever in his current predicament..._

_His arms at first were defensive; yet subsided, as they collapsed in her embrace... He slouched more and more into her embrace with each passing second... He felt vulnerable, like somebody could obliterate and shatter his very being in mere seconds; yet somehow..._

_He felt safe with her..._

_His eye restraints faded, as each crystal fragment that had been held back, shed from the boy's saffron eyes; he continued to slouch in the girl's embrace, as he dipped lower and lower; he felt the ends of the girl's hair slowly rising on his facial features..._

_The two sat there in with only Rigby's cries cascading through the car; as he entirely broke down in her arms... She spoke up, as she looked down towards the despairing boy..._

_"Hush... It's all going to be okay now..." She began slowly, as her crimson eyes became filled with sorrow while looking downwards... She could really guarantee that it would; yet, she would do everything in her power to make sure that it would be, at least for the boy..._

_The two continued to sit there as her tight embrace continued upon the sobbing boy..._

_She then, spoke up softly..._

_"I promise..."_

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey all! :) I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Also I do not own the song! It is... Gazette 7 Gatsu 8-Ka, and it's actually a Japanese band; but I found out what the lyrics were when they were translated to English. :D Anyways, thanks for reading! :D I hope you enjoyed! :D**_

__


	14. Forsaken

_**Cessation: Chapter Fourteen**_

_**Forsaken**_

* * *

Rigby shuffled around slowly; as he slowly felt light _piercing _through his gently closed, eye lids...

He was laying on something _soft; _and felt something _thick _and _warm _covering him, it embraced him through each and every shuffle he would commit...

His cheeks felt _chapped; as his hand had ached tirelessly, _he _slowly_ remembered the wound that _was created _upon him the previous day... As though, last night nearly seemed like a _blur, _he was able to remember that very _important detail of it..._

He kept his eyes closed; _as like every day, _where he was never _rushed _to see daylight, _and would hold hope that his nightmares may finally end him... _This way,_ he didn't have to face the hideous world anymore... And, all of his fears could finally end their charade, and just consume him..._

He_ slowly _crept his eyes open; as though the shades were closed, _it was quite the sunny day from what it seemed; _as the light _bled _through the _closed shades..._

His eyes were at _first; _blinded, _and everything seemed so bright... _

He blinked a few times, as he got a grasp _on his surroundings; as his vision slowly started to clear..._

_As it did; _he continued to blink, as he began to make out the_ small rectangular coffee table _that sat beside him.

He raised his hands to rub his eyes, as he_ then _noticed his hand where the _wound once was, _was now _bandaged _and his hand was covered in _snow white tape. _

He was slightly _in confusion _as to what had happened last night; as everything _nearly seemed to turn into a blur..._

He ignored it though, as he slowly propped his back up with his elbow;as the _harsh sunlight _that _bled _through the curtains _roughly stained his face..._

He let out a _small cough; _as the invisible cobwebs that had been stuck in his throat throughout sleeping, _had been cleared upon coughing. _

He sat up entirely, _as he still had felt exhausted..._

He looked around him, _as he saw a very organized apartment. _A television sat in front of the coffee table, multiple end tables, exotic plants, standing lamps, and a _vast quantity _of other objects; _yet, _they were all perfectly in place... _Nearly harmonizing with each other. _

_He himself, _was sitting in a small red couch; as _three blankets stacked upon one another covered him, _and he realized when he was laying down; there was a white pillow _embracing _the back of his head...

He continued to look around him, as he then began to notice the _rectangular bases, that held past memories within it. _

He gently bit his lip; _as he then began to make out the pictures as he narrowed his eyes..._

They all, _had contained a very familiar red haired girl; _with multiple friends, _family, _and sometimes just by herself...

Rigby frowned, _as he realized he must have passed out last night... Just how long were they sitting together for?..._

Rigby gently turned to face front wards towards the television, as he_ timidly _scooted off the couch and _shakily_ stood up...

He frowned, as _everything seemed so peaceful... As if, last night didn't even happen..._

He _slowly _began to walk and as he began to take his first step,he bumped his _ankle_ upon the table. There was little to no pain; _but it made a noise that had echoed through the small apartment..._

He gently pulled his foot away, _as he took his next step more cautiously... Careful not to make the same mistake..._

_However unfortunately; _he heard _shuffling _in a room that was not far from him, that had come from towards his left. He hadn't realized that the girl he was under the same roof with, had been from time to time, a _very light sleeper... _He frowned as he gently bit his lip; _he had hoped he didn't awaken the girl..._

He gently continued to walk, _as he saw his shoes neatly placed on the floor by the front door. _He slowly made his way towards the pair of shoes, and had a _small smile _across his face; _it would appear that he would be able to escape without any confrontations..._

It's not that he disliked Margaret, or didn't appreciate _her offer; and he did want to thank her for treating his wounds, and the comfort she gave... But after last night..._

_He felt that when they did talk again; the tension, the nerves and the emotions would all run very high... _And to be honest, _after last night; _he wasn't sure if he was up for dealing with that today. As he still had, _other _pressing matters at hand...

As he turned to the door, he gently slipped his feet into his shoes. He then, _gently placed his hand upon the door knob; his smile continued to gain in size, _as he realized he was mere seconds from being _home free..._

_"What are you doing?" A voice suddenly called from behind him..._

_An anxiety filled frown became evident on his face, he slowly backed away from the door, as he turned to face this voice..._

He saw the familiar _red and black haired girl with a raised eyebrow at the action he was so close to committing... He then, looked towards her appearance; as she was now __clean, wore fresh pajamas, and seemed in a slightly more positive mood then the previous day... _

Her eyes were _tired, _yet at the same time; seemed_ alert _at the_ sudden _attempt_ of departure from her petite friend... Confusion and worry _were across her face; partially from his actions currently, and from the actions he committed _last night..._

He bit his lip as he looked downwards, he wasn't _entirely _sure what to say... The words seemed so scattered in his mind, and it seemed as if it were a _Tetris game; just to complete a single sentence..._

_"I was...just going to get some fresh air..." He lied, _as he still averted her gaze, looking downwards_ nervously..._

_"Oh." _She replied calmly, as her eyes slowly scanned the boy... She noticed his _timid _and _defensive _demeanor, and was slightly _confused _as to what was _troubling him... She decided to speak up her concerns..._

_"Are you... feeling alright?" _She spoke cautiously; careful not to _rush _into anything... _She realized Rigby could easily be frightened, feel overwhelmed, feel panicked, and even become hostile in a few brief words...Well, at least... this had been the case ever since Mordecai had left..._

Rigby froze for a moment, before he abruptly raised his head and looked to the girl; his eyes were slightly embarrassed, as his lips were pursed timidly.

To talk to someone, in which the previous day had; he broken down in their arms, proved to be _quite challenging..._

_"Y-Yeah... I-I just, umm... T-Thomas, he uhh... Needs my help with something... S-So, I've got to go..." He managed to stutter out nervously; and lied once more..._

He looked towards the girl, as he saw her _slightly worried _expression, visibly _calm _upon hearing his words... He noticed... _as her lips slowly began to extend into a small smile..._

_"Oh, cool. Could I drive you?" _She offered _politely, _as her facial expressions still remained _calmed... A smile was spread across her face, in near delight. _

Rigby was slightly _flabbergasted as his eyebrows rose... Was this the same girl from last night?... What was it that had changed...? Was this... just a charade...? Or was this really her? And was it true...? _

_"Ummm... N-No, I should be fine; I don't mind walking..." _He_ assured her; as he held a small reassuring yet, fake grin... _His eyebrows were still raised, as he still; _was slightly confused at the girl's aspects and mannerisms..._

_"No no, please. I insist." She said once more with a gleeful smile, _as she turned away from the boy; and made her way towards a small closet door in the hall.

Rigby watched her, as she in a half second was at the closet door... She opened it quickly, as she quickly pulled out a grey hoodie; as she then softly closed the closet door...

She turned to face Rigby once more, as she began to walk towards him; and along the way, began to slowly slide her hoodie over her head...

As she closed the gap between her and the boy, she had her head through the top hole; and was beginning to slip her arms in each of the sleeves...

_"Ready?" _She asked optimistically with a smile, as she gently slid her arms through the sleeves and her hands began to appear at the bottom holes of the sleeves...

Rigby watched as she fully equipped the hoodie as the bottom of it made it to her waist before he spoke up...

_"Y-Yes... But you really don't have to drive me..." Rigby quietly spoke up once more, as he looked downwards towards the floor..._

_"Just, _come on. We're not getting any younger." She spoke up as she _reached _around Rigby, and opened the door... She awaited for him to exit the apartment after she had opened it...

"Yeah...I guess..." He spoke _quietly, _as he turned slowly turned and departed from her apartment with her following...

She gently stuck her new found keys in the door knob, as she locked the door behind her, after the two had left...

They gently began to walk, as they made their way to the stairs. Rigby slowly began to pace down the stairs; as he heard both his and Margaret's footsteps echo outside; he looked around him as he saw the day wasn't raining as it was yesterday, yet it was cloudy and _quite dark..._

As they continued to walk down the steps, _the air felt slightly chilled; _as the wind gently blew through each of their hair, sending a small shiver through _Rigby's spine..._

They eventually, made it to the bottom of the steps; as Rigby saw Margaret's car _merely a block away..._

They, then made their way to the car still in silence; while the wind slowly blew_ fallen leaves _across the _cement pavement below..._

In mere seconds; they had made it to the car. _Rigby _patiently awaited by the passenger door, as Margaret began to unlock the car...

With a small click, Margaret's car door unlocked... As she gently got in her car, and clicked a small locking mechanism with her hand, as the passenger door unlocked upon doing this as well... She then, _clicked _her seat belt in place while awaiting Rigby.

_Rigby _gently opened the door, as he slowly got into the car; and _softly _closed the door behind him... He then mirrored her actions; _as he too, _clicked his seatbelt in place... His eyes focused on the seat belt for a moment, before they fell upon _his feet below..._

The silence _began to make Rigby feel awkward, _and as if there were things that he should be saying right now; _that he simply wasn't..._

_Margaret, however; _seemed completely relaxed, as she then started the car; and began to reverse out of the parking lot...

She then, turned and straightened her car while reversing; as she accelerated still in turn, and drove to the exit of the parking lot.

She slowed down to make sure no cars were driving down the road, _in which _she had wished to _depart upon..._

As she saw it was safe, _she pulled out entirely; _and began to drive, as she drove to a destination she was _still, unsure of..._

_"Hey Rigby, where is it that you need to go?" _She suddenly asked curiously, as she _realized; it was an important piece of information that still hadn't managed to come up until now..._

_"Umm...W-Well, I just need to go to the park... I'm not sure where Thomas' house is, so I figure he'd probably be close to finishing working by now..." Rigby said timidly, _as he read the clock in her car, _it was 2:57 P.M... _

_"Okay, cool." Margaret replied calmly as her passive smile continued. _It would not be necessary for her to function her GPS, as her memory of the visits and hangouts she had _with Mordecai_ could lead them to the park...

Rigby assumed that the two must have slept in after all of the _events _yesterday; _not only that, but the breakdown at the end of that day had taken a toll on Rigby physically, and mentally..._

_Luckily, _Skips usually only had employees now work until 3:00 _P.M, as usually; the work would be done by then..._

Though, they had _more hands_ previously when Benson was still the park manager; _everything seemed to go wrong, and simply take extra time... Even when, _Mordecai and Rigby had begun to _grow apart; _and their slacking had stopped_... Work still, _managed to go unfinished with _Benson as manager... It was almost as if it was a curse..._

The two continued to drive down streets and turns in _silence... _The only thing that was heard, was usually _the accelerating, exhaust, and engine _of Margaret's and other driver's cars...

The two were nearly there at their destination _in practically no time at all_... It_ really seemed as if back when everyone lived here, that it was meant and designed to be inhabited by them, and no other strangers... As everything seemed so...Compact._

As the two came _extremely close _to arriving at the park, Rigby looked downwards with a small frown, as he began to feel _guilt _for not being more_ talkative nor social..._

_His eyes were slightly nervous, _as they danced around the car; and would stare at random things... He decided after a few seconds, that it was _indeed the time to speak up. _He let out _a small timid sigh before he spoke up..._

_"Hey...M-Margaret..." He spoke up nervously; as _he averted her gaze and looked towards his feet with _slightly embarrassed features, timid eyes, and a small worried frown..._...

Though, Rigby had averted his gaze_; Margaret never took her eyes off the road,_ however this _did not _penalize a hasty reply.

"Yes?" She spoke in reply, _slight curiosity lingered in her voice;_ as she noticed the boy take on a _more solemn tone..._

_Rigby hesitated, as he bit his lip... He wasn't entirely sure the proper way to word his appreciation to the girl..._

_"I just...W-Wanted to say t-thanks...I m-mean...Thank you...For everything..." His voice remained soft and timid; as though, he did slightly stutter... _He was glad that _he was able to voice his thanks to her in a proper manner..._

Rigby nervously raised his gaze from his feet; and looked towards the girl... And though, her gaze was _still focused on the road; _he had noticed that her previous smile had grown _much wider _after his words..._ As her eyes_, _practically_ _glistened in elation and exuberance..._

_"I'm glad to help," _She began truthfully, as her face _suddenly became slightly more stern..."But... please... Don't be scared to voice what's troubling you next time..." _She concluded more directly_, _as her tone became more solemn and matched the boy's...

_"R-Right...Sorry..." Rigby _replied quietly while he averted his gaze _down towards his feet once more... _A slight _redness began to stain his cheeks, _as his normal _melancholy ridden eyes...slowly began to...glisten...with new found hope..._

His brows slowly raised as a question _came to mind... He wondered how Margaret had gotten him on the couch, from the car... _Considering, _there was not only the walk_... _but a staircase to travel... He opened his mouth to voice his question, however; he was interrupted..._

_"Hey, Rigby." She spoke softly; _as the boy continued to look towards his feet in wonder...

_"Yeah?" _He replied; as his_ eyebrows rose with wide-eyes, _after he was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts.

_"We're here." _Margaret said calmly, as she looked towards the boy with a smile.

_Upon hearing this, _Rigby _shot his head up. _He looked around him,_ as he saw the familiar landscape of the park..._

_"O-Oh, s-sorry." Rigby said, _as he _hastily and nervously _unbuckled his seat belt. He then quickly opened the door, _as he hurriedly got out of the car as his feet collided with park soil..._

_He wasn't sure what was driving him to escape the car so quickly, _but decided to ignore that for the _time being..._

When he was entirely out; he turned around once more, and faced Margaret... She sat with an amused smile, as she _watched him..._

_"Jeez; what's the hurry?" _She joked, as she continued her smile;_ with amused eyes..._

_"N-Nothing, sorry..." Rigby began timidly as he looked towards the girl, "T-Thank you for the ride..." _He concluded with a _small joyful smile, as his eyes sparkled in their new found hope under the sun above..._

_"Anytime, let me know though, if you... need anything... Or something like that..." She spoke slightly nervously, as she looked towards the boy with an optimistic smile..._

_"I will, thank you." Rigby began as he placed his hand on the car door, "I'll see you... Thanks again." Rigby concluded, as he gently began to close the door shut._

_Margaret replied with a nod in delight, as the door shut entirely..._

_Rigby gave the girl one last wave with a smile, as she returned it with her own while she smiled as well... She then let her hand drop to the clutch, as her face turned towards the pavement in front of her... She then began to accelerate once more, circling her current position, and driving away from Rigby..._

_Rigby continued to smile in glee as he watched the car leave the park grounds entirely... He then slowly turned around, and make his way towards his new destination..._

_A certain co-worker named Thomas..._

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**Hey! Thanks for reading! :) I hope you enjoyed! :D This was a slightly more upbeat chapter, as I tried to somewhat, mix it up...Kind of haha. But, next chapter; not to spoil anything, is going to focus more on Thomas and Mordecai... So it should be fun. :D So, thanks again! And I hope you enjoyed reading! :D**_

_**Thanks! :)**_


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